Watch brandsWatch wikiWatch videosVariousWatch calendarSaved articles
PopularRolexOmegaPatek PhilippeAudemars PiguetTudorGrand SeikoCartierSeikoIWCTAG HeuerBreitlingJaeger-LeCoultreA. Lange & SohneZenith

Results for Windup Watch Fair New York

35,999 articles · 309 videos found · page 821 of 1211

Leica Shifts Focus with the ZM 11 SJX Watches
IWC Ingenieur Nov 14, 2023

Leica Shifts Focus with the ZM 11

Having introduced the ZM 1 and ZM 2 wristwatches in 2018, Leica now launches its first sports watch with ZM 11. Deviating entirely from the camera-inspired aesthetics of the earlier models, the ZM 11 is a straightforward three-hander in a minimalist style with an integrated bracelet (or strap). But like its predecessors, the ZM 11 is equipped with a movement made by a specialist, in this case Chronode. Initial thoughts On its face, the ZM 11 comes across as uninspiring at first, appearing similar to many current luxury sports watches with integrated bracelets. But on closer inspection it reveals interesting details, including a nicely finished case and bracelet with facetted, brushed surfaces. Also notable is the quick-release mechanism for the bracelet that’s activated by a red button, a reference to Leica cameras. The red button aside, however, the design doesn’t capture the essence of a Leica camera as the earlier ZM 1 and ZM 2 did. The earlier pair incorporated camera-inspired details into functional elements, like a patented “push-piece” crown that mimics the push of a shutter-release button. While the ZM 1 and ZM 2 are arguably Leica watches, the ZM 11 feels more like a Leica-branded watch. Priced around US$7,000 for the base model, the ZM 11 is competitively priced as far as integrated-bracelet sports watches go. The IWC Ingenieur, for instance, is about 40% pricier. However, such sports watches are generally priced at a premium relatively to everything else...

REVIEW: Hands On With The Aventi Golden Tiger WatchAdvice
Nov 11, 2023

REVIEW: Hands On With The Aventi Golden Tiger

The Aventi Golden Tiger is a watch that will definitely turn heads and have people stop you to ask, “What are you wearing?” What We Love Hand-engraved Sapphire and 24K Tiger head!Sapphire caseWrist presence What We Don’t The buckle doesn’t sit flush with the strapIt takes a while to wear the strap inIt will be large for some people Overall Rating: 8.25/10 Value for money: 8/10Wearability: 7.5/10Design: 8.5/10Build quality: 9/10 Aventi is a brand that has grown from strength to strength over the past few years. Aventi has gone from its small beginnings here in Australia to now being a fully-fledged Swiss manufacturer, using some of the best watchmakers and techniques in the business with a unique and disruptive business model. The Aventi Goolden Tiger is a piece that needs to be seen up close and personal to appreciate it fully. The brand has partnered with a range of watchmakers and component producers, some of the best in the industry, and utilises their on-demand system for their higher-end pieces, ensuring the quality isn’t compromised and that each piece is finished to the highest standards. In addition, their Aventi GT-01S Calibre is a Swiss Made hand-wound Tourbillon movement with an accuracy of -4/+4 seconds per day, which is greater than COSC. Initial Thoughts Given Watch Advice’s founder, Chamath (@champsg), has the Aventi Wraith in Sapphite, and having worn in and played around with it many times, I was confident in what I was getting myself into with...

Editorial: Winners at the 2023 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet Nov 10, 2023

Editorial: Winners at the 2023 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève

The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) announced its 2023 winners last night in a ceremony in its traditional venue, the theatre in the Fairmont hotel. Compared to 2022, most of the jury members for the year were new faces, including Anish Bhatt of Watchanish and Ben Clymer of Hodinkee. Presided over by author Nick Foulkes, the jury assembled a list of winners that included several surprises. Some watches rightly triumphed in competitive categories, but in others the prizes felt like they were awarded for lack of alternatives. In nearly all categories, however, the winners had merit, with the only exception being the Van Cleef & Arpels Éveil du Cyclamen Automaton that did not win the Mechanical Clock category. The biggest winner of the evening was expected and deserving, going to Audemars Piguet for the Code 11.59 Universelle grand complication. While not the prettiest watch, the Universelle is certainly the most technically impressive watch of the year and deserves the Aiguille d’Or, or “Golden Hand”, the top prize of the event, which was claimed by the brand’s outgoing chief executive, Francois-Henry Bennahmias (pictured above). Not only is the Universelle exceptionally complicated, it approaches several complications in an ingenious manner. Other widely foreseen winners were Petermann Bédat with its 2941 split-seconds in the Chronograph category. Despite my criticism of some aspects of the movement construction, the rattrapante chronograph is undoubte...

Nomos Issues the Classic Tangente in a Limited Gold Version Worn & Wound
Nomos Issues Nov 9, 2023

Nomos Issues the Classic Tangente in a Limited Gold Version

In their ongoing “175 Years Watchmaking Glashütte” series, Nomos has finally unveiled a watch that we’re frankly surprised has never existed before, but makes perfect sense right now. The Tangente Rose Gold Neomatik is a precious metal limited edition version of what is indisputably the brand’s most iconic design. In any kind of celebratory context, you’d expect the Tangente to play a lead role, and now, after limited versions of the Orion and Ludwig, the Tangente gets its own luxurious turn.  The 175 Years campaign has actually been ongoing since 2020, when a trio of stainless steel Lambdas were introduced. That release was notable because the Lambda had always been available only in solid gold, so a steel version was of particular interest to Nomos collectors who prize the brand’s watches for their great value. This release, in a way, is the inverse of the Lambda limited editions, with a model that is very much associated with stainless steel being introduced in gold. It makes a lot of sense for the Tangente, often cited as the most directly Bauhaus inspired watch in the Nomos catalog, to get this kind of treatment. In steel the straight lugs matched with the circular case appear almost severe, but the whole package has a warmer and more inviting sensibility in rose gold. It still looks delicate and impossibly precise, now just with a notably more luxe feel.  The dial for this version is inspired by early watches made in Glashütte, and beyond tying this r...

Hands-On With the Oris x Collective Horology C.04 Divers Seventy-Five Worn & Wound
Oris x Collective Horology C.04 Nov 7, 2023

Hands-On With the Oris x Collective Horology C.04 Divers Seventy-Five

We love a good riff on an existing concept around here, and there’s one candidate in particular that’s ripe for experimentation. The Oris Divers 65 (of Divers Sixty-Five if you’re not into the whole brevity thing) has proven rather malleable in recent years, hosting a variety of colorways, material combinations, dial designs, and even movements. And to its credit, all of them seem to work pretty well. Enter Collective Horology, who are using this watch as a base to their latest collaboration, the C.04, in a shaggy ‘70s inspired take on the watch dubbed, naturally, the Divers Seventy-Five.  The Divers Seventy-Five brings back the dateless dial with the retro Arabic numerals marking the cardinal hours. The design feels right at home in the new color scheme, which consists of brown and orange tones throughout the steel case and bracelet. The result is a look that certainly won’t be for everyone, but offers one of the more inventive takes on the watch we’ve seen yet. The color scheme at work here takes inspiration from ‘70s California design according to Asher Rapkin and Gabe Reilly of the Collective, and when set into that context, takes on a slightly different character than your typical brown dial or two-tone watch. The Divers Seventy-Five is built into a 40mm steel case that’s accented by Oris’ bronze bezel and affixed to their bi-metal steel and bronze bracelet, leaning fully into the funky vibes that start at the dial. This is a case we’re fond of ar...

[VIDEO] Review: The Delightfully Odd Longines HydroConquest GMT Worn & Wound
Longines HydroConquest GMT Watches Nov 2, 2023

[VIDEO] Review: The Delightfully Odd Longines HydroConquest GMT

Watches that break from conventional wisdom tend to provide the most memorable experiences on the wrist. We search out such examples around here and embrace new watches that aren’t afraid to cut against the grain in some way, shape, or form. Doing so presents a risk for brands, particularly large, well established brands. A by-the-numbers design meant to appeal to the largest possible swath of the population must, by definition, be as inoffensive as possible. Deviation from the template risks putting out a percentage of would-be buyers, but it also creates grounds for differentiation, a necessity in today’s crowded landscape of watch brands young and old. Achieving balance here means a design that’s unique and exciting, while being accessible enough to sell to enough people to make it work financially.  Generally, the larger the brand the safer they play with this equation. But that’s not always the case, as many large brands still produce polarizing yet recognizable watches that have a focused appeal to a group of die hard fans. I’ll let you conjure up your own examples of watches that fall into this category. One such testament is the Longines HydroConquest, a watch with a big personality that’s been emblematic of the era it was originally designed in, the mid ‘00s. Longines was ahead of the game when it introduced the HydroConquest in 2007, presenting a fully modern, forward looking take on a serious dive watch at Baselworld, and even offered in both 39 a...

Bremont’s Refreshes the Supermarine S302 Worn & Wound
Bremont s Refreshes Oct 31, 2023

Bremont’s Refreshes the Supermarine S302

Bremont is launching a new generation of Supermarines with not one, not two, but three configurations. The headliner is a special edition created in partnership with freedivers and conservationists Ocean Ramsey and Juan Oliphant, while the other two are regular production models with new color schemes and materials. The Supermarine line has been a mainstay for Bremont, and this infusion of models looks to take it to the next level. Let’s get the specs out of the way: all three new references are 40 mm wide, 49 mm long, and 13 mm thick. Lug widths are a friendly 20 mm, and the cases are made of scratch resistant DLC treated stainless steel. Unidirectional ceramic bezels (more on that later) surround four-handed dials with dates at 3. A modified caliber BE-932AV provides 50 hours of power reserve, and water resistance is rated at 300 meters. All the Supermarines are Chronometer rated to the ISO 3159 standard. First up, the Supermarine Ocean. Limited to 400 pieces, this model is designed with respect to Ocean and Juan’s work with sharks and other endangered sea creatures. The bezel, dial, and integrated rubber strap are appropriately called “Thresher Grey,” and proceeds from each sale will benefit the “Save the Turtles International” charity. Aesthetically, the gray and beige tones work well with the orange text on the dial, rehaut, and GMT hand. Note that, like the S302 JET, the 24-hour bezel on the Supermarine Ocean is monochromatic. The watch can be configured ...

Up Close with Parmigiani Fleurier X Revolution Tonda PF Micro-Rotor ‘Purple Reign’ Revolution
Parmigiani Fleurier X Revolution Tonda PF Oct 30, 2023

Up Close with Parmigiani Fleurier X Revolution Tonda PF Micro-Rotor ‘Purple Reign’

The colour worn by nobility was specifically Tyrian purple. It is this association with royalty that inspired our timepiece’s evocative sobriquet, wrote by Wei Koh, Founder of Revolution Watch, “Color has always held a special fascination for me, particularly in the way the subtle control and modulation of hue is capable of extraordinary expression.” Our […]

Urwerk UR-120 ‘Spock’: It’s Great to be A Nerd - Reprise Quill & Pad
Urwerk UR-120 ‘Spock’ It’s Great Oct 29, 2023

Urwerk UR-120 ‘Spock’: It’s Great to be A Nerd - Reprise

The Urwerk UR-120 is a thematic update for the UR-110 using what appears to be a very similar mechanism and dial layout. Even the case is generally the same. But while at first glance it shares much with the UR-110 in essence, when you start to compare the two this is a dramatically different watch, in particular when it gives you the Vulcan salute!

Opinion: My Love-Hate Relationship with Accuracy and Precision Worn & Wound
Timex watches Oct 24, 2023

Opinion: My Love-Hate Relationship with Accuracy and Precision

I have had a love-hate relationship with accuracy and precision for most of my life. In high school, I used to set my Timex watches to the school bell, so that when my watch hit the mark, class was let out. When I was on the drill team in the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, synchronizing our marching was critical and our timing had to be impeccable. I also grew up in a household that firmly believed that if you were not at least 10 minutes early, you were late. The latter has led me to sit on many empty Zoom/TEAMS calls for 5-10 minutes, but at least I am never late. It has been the same with the accuracy and precision of my mechanical watches. As a serial watch monogamist, I cannot wrap my head around owning multiple watches and swapping one out for another every other day. I just can’t do it. Instead, I wear my watches 24/7 and try to get the very most I can out of ownership. I track both the accuracy and precision of each piece, as well as how it wears and how the watch changes over time.  Now you may be asking yourself, why is he talking about accuracy and precision as if they were two different aspects of timing. To me, they are distinct. Accuracy is tracking how well a watch keeps time versus established atomic timing, such as www.time.gov. Precision is how precise the time is displayed on a watch. More on this later. For now, let us focus on accuracy. A familiar website for most watch collectors In the beginning, my initial introduction to mechanical watches was throu...

The 25 Most Expensive Watches Ever Sold at Auction Teddy Baldassarre
Patek Philippe Oct 20, 2023

The 25 Most Expensive Watches Ever Sold at Auction

How much would you pay for a watch? What if it was the only one of its kind, or a record-breaker in terms of complications, or once owned by someone famous or historically significant? And just how expensive are the most expensive watches to ever change hands in a sale? In today's red-hot watch auction market, the answers, and the sums, may surprise you. Here we run down the list of the top 25 watches in descending order of the price they fetched on the auction block, while spotlighting some of the timepieces with the most fascinating backstories and representing the most impressive technical achievements. You'll find the expected abundance of watches from Patek Philippe and Rolex (the clear leaders in the category) but also a few from other watchmakers, large and small, who've recently broken into the upper echelon. At the end, we'll spotlight the highest selling watches from a few other brands that didn't crack the top 25 but maintain a robust presence on the watch auction scene. 1. Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010 ($31.19 million, 2019, Christie’s) Patek Philippe unveiled the first Grandmaster Chime watch in 2014 as part of the many celebrations around the Genevan maison’s 175the anniversary. The reference that made history at the Only Watch auction in Geneva in 2019 was a unique piece, the only Grandmaster Chime ever crafted in stainless steel; the Grandmaster Chime models in Patek’s regular collection are all made in precious metals. The watch...

IWC Brings a Fan Favorite Ceramic Tone to their 41mm Chronograph Platform Worn & Wound
IWC Brings Oct 19, 2023

IWC Brings a Fan Favorite Ceramic Tone to their 41mm Chronograph Platform

If you’re a fan of IWC pilot watches, you’ve no doubt participated in one of this cohort’s favorite activities, which is armchair quarterbacking the specifics of each release. We’ve gotten to a point where there are so many case sizes, complications, and case materials in the collection that the moment a new watch is announced, there’s a cry on the internet for that exact thing but tweaked, somehow, to more closely resemble another watch the brand makes. This is especially true with IWC’s ceramic cased pilot watches, which tend to be rather large and drive more than their share of “If only it was __mm” comments on Instagram. Earlier this year, in the midst of Ingy-fever, IWC quietly released a very nice 41mm chronograph in blue ceramic. It got some of us thinking: will more ceramic color options come to this Goldilocks sized case that everyone (myself very much included) seems to love?  The answer, of course, is yes. This week, IWC revealed a watch that many collectors have been hoping for for quite some time, the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Top Gun Mojave Desert. The brown “Mojave” case is meant to look like desert sand, and has been a favorite when executed as a perpetual calendar and Big Pilot. It was also, first, a chronograph, which made its debut back in 2019 in the same 44.5mm case later occupied by the Tahoe and Woodland versions of the chrono. It’s certainly the brand’s most unique ceramic colorway, and I have a feeling the news of this...

IWC Scales Down the Pilot’s Chronograph Top Gun Mojave Desert SJX Watches
IWC Scales Down Oct 19, 2023

IWC Scales Down the Pilot’s Chronograph Top Gun Mojave Desert

After recently introducing a pilot’s watch with a fully-luminous dial and the Big Pilot perpetual in white ceramic, IWC continues to grow its aviation-inspired offerings with the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Top Gun Mojave Desert. First introduced as a limited edition in 2019, the sand-coloured ceramic chronograph is now regular production and in a more wearable size of 41 mm. Initial thoughts One of the standouts in the Top Gun collection has been the Mojave Desert with its beige tones – definitely an unusual colour for a oversized sports watch. However, the colour was only applied to larger models to date. The reintroduction of the Mojave Desert in a more compact size, and standard production to boot, is a good thing – though probably not such a good thing for owners of the limited edition version. The smaller case helps with wearability, making this desirable colour combination available to a wider audience. Size aside, there is no major point of difference. The same can be said for price: the new Mojave Desert chronograph retails for US$11,700, mirroring the price tag of the other ceramic chronographs in the collection. A new size, but same style The Mojave Desert chronograph is the latest addition to the “Colours of Top Gun” collection that draws inspiration from the US Navy’s flight school. The colour choice for this model is influenced by the Mojave Desert that surrounds the US Navy’s TOPGUN fighter pilot academy, and its pilots’ distinctive flight...

REVIEW: Adding A Bit Of Sophistication With The Speake-Marin Ripples Original WatchAdvice
Speake-Marin Oct 14, 2023

REVIEW: Adding A Bit Of Sophistication With The Speake-Marin Ripples Original

If you’re after a sporty chic watch that will set you apart, the limited production Speak-Marin Ripples Original in black could be the out of the box choice! What We Love The ripple effect dialThinness of the caseWears extremely comfortable What We Don’t Bracelet clasp is tricky to undoLack of water resistanceNo lume on the dial Overall Rating: 8.625/10 Value for money: 8/10Wearability: 9/10Design: 8.5/10Build quality: 9/10 When it comes to the world of watches, the smaller independents often come second to the larger mass luxury brands. With the exception of a few high Haute Horology Maisons, many are overlooked by collectors and buyers alike. Partly due to the lack of mainstream brand presence, i.e marketing dollars, and partly due to the entry pricing of them, with many starting in the 10s of thousands of dollars. But for a good reason! Speake-Marin is one of these brands. The Maison is just 20 years young, and fiercely independent since the English/Swiss watchmaker was bought by an ambitious and ardent female entrepreneur, Christelle Rosnoblet in 2012. With it’s brand roots in England, yet now calling Switzerland home, the Maison’s pieces are developed, assembled and controlled in a fine watchmaking workshop, Le Cercle des Horlogers, which works hand in hand with Speake-Marin’s creation studio based in Geneva. The Speake-Marin Original Ripples Original Black Speake-Marin’s philosophy is simple, and boils down to three elements: All its collections are propo...

Zenith Watches: A Brief History and Overview of the Modern Collection Teddy Baldassarre
Zenith Watches Oct 13, 2023

Zenith Watches: A Brief History and Overview of the Modern Collection

Zenith SA, a Swiss watchmaker that traces its roots all the way back to 1865, is best known these days for its historic and hugely influential El Primero chronograph caliber, but the company can lay claim to many other horological milestones and accolades as well, some of which might be somewhat less than common knowledge. Did you know, for example, that Zenith has won more chronometry awards than any other watch brand? Or that it was once owned by an electronics company of the same name? Or that it is the only brand that’s allowed to put “Pilot” on a pilot’s watch dial? In this in-depth feature, I explore these and other aspects of Zenith’s fascinating history and also offer a primer on the manufacture’s modern watch collections. Georges-Favre-Jacot and Historic Integration Watchmaker Georges Favre-Jacot (above) was a mere 22 years of age when he founded the atelier that would become Zenith in Le Locle, Switzerland in 1865. Favre-Jacot, a contemporary of Swiss modern architecture pioneer Le Corbusier, embraced a similarly modern approach to making watches, taking his cues from the American firms Waltham and Elgin, which had found success by introducing mass production into the traditionally artisanal business. His company, originally called Georges Favre-Jacot & Co., was the first Swiss watch producer to bring the various disciplines of horology under one roof - as opposed to the more common établissage system that most watchmakers used at the time, which h...

Seiko Goes Historical Again with the Prospex Land Mechanical GMT SPB411 SJX Watches
Grand Seiko models Oct 11, 2023

Seiko Goes Historical Again with the Prospex Land Mechanical GMT SPB411

Following the release of the 1970s diver reissue and a solar chronograph inspired by a 1990s design, Seiko has reintroduced another historical model as the Prospex Land Mechanical GMT Limited Edition SPB411. This remake draws inspiration from the Navigator Timer from 1968, the brand’s first dual time zone watch with a 24-hour rotating bezel. Now it’s been given a modern update with a new calibre and tweaks to the dial design while retaining the retro tonneau-shaped case. Initial thoughts The Navigator Timer is not quite as famous as its diving or chronograph counterparts, but still an important vintage “tool” watch amongst vintage Seikos. The Japanese brand has executed its long-awaited revival admirably, offering a contemporary interpretation with a modern movement while maintaining the essence of its original design. It’s worth noting that this reissue should be more accurately described as a dual time zone watch with an independently adjustable 24-hour hand, rather than a genuine GMT with an adjustable local-time hour hand, a feature usually seen in higher-end Grand Seiko models. This distinction means that setting the watch for different time zones involves a few extra steps. However, given its price point, this compromise remains entirely reasonable. Priced at US$1,600, it’s a US$100 increase from the standard Prospex Diver’s GMT. Despite this modest cost bump, opting for this limited edition still offers great value. That said, collectors might be less...

30th anniversary of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore: Celebrity Collaborations Quill & Pad
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Celebrity Oct 11, 2023

30th anniversary of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore: Celebrity Collaborations

In this fourth article commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore (following: 4 New 2023 Releases, Here Come ‘The Beasts’, and ROO F1s, High Octane Fairy Tales of Super Star Racing Drivers), here is the topic that initially interested Alexey Kutkovoy the most, i.e. the annals of the Royal Oak Offshore limited and special editions.

Hands On: Louis Vuitton x Rexhep Rexhepi LVRR-01 Chronographe à Sonnerie SJX Watches
Louis Vuitton x Rexhep Rexhepi LVRR-01 Oct 10, 2023

Hands On: Louis Vuitton x Rexhep Rexhepi LVRR-01 Chronographe à Sonnerie

In an unexpected movement, Louis Vuitton and Akrivia have just announced the Louis Vuitton x Rexhep Rexhepi LVRR-01 Chronographe à Sonnerie. Reflecting the collaborative nature of the watch, it has two faces – the tinted sapphire dial for the time and a fired enamel dial on the back for the chronograph. The LVRR-01 also boasts an unusual combination of complications: a chronograph with a chiming mechanism that strikes once every elapsed minute, along with a five-minute tourbillon – and a constant-force gear train. [NB: The watch pictured is one of two prototypes so the finishing, particularly the cleanliness of the movement, is not up to par.] Technically-minded enthusiasts will appreciate the sophistication of the movement, since the chronograph and sonnerie are driven by secondary barrel and going train that is effectively a one-minute constant force mechanism. Limited to 10 watches, the LVRR-01 is the first of a series of five collaborative projects between Louis Vuitton and independent watchmakers. The next project will be revealed in a year’s time, with the subsequent projects following the same annual timetable. Initial thoughts The LVRR-01 has the heft and gleam of a finely made watch. The chamfered edges on the platinum case immediately catch the eye, particularly because of the contrast with the brushed surfaces, and then the movement finishing becomes apparent through sapphire crystal. In fact, the smoked sapphire crystal perhaps obscures too much of the...

Omega Constellation Guide Teddy Baldassarre
Omega Constellation Guide Oct 9, 2023

Omega Constellation Guide

The Omega Constellation is not only the Swiss luxury brand’s oldest collection (if we’re tracing the Seamaster back to its first “Professional” dive-watch model in 1957); it’s also the dressiest, with a design heritage that hinges on two classic and very iconoclastic watches from two distinctively different eras: the cult-classic original from the 1950s and the influential revamp in the 1980s. Here’s an in-depth look at the Omega Constellation, its half-century-plus of revolutionary design, and what the collection looks like today. 1952: Making a Pie Omega, founded in 1848 by an ambitious young Swiss watchmaker named Louis Brandt, celebrated its 100th anniversary in the postwar year of 1948. The most memorable watch the company released during that milestone year, most would agree, was the first Seamaster, which introduced the innovative waterproof system that would give rise to today’s sprawling Seamaster Professional collection of dive watches. A rarer and more obscure timepiece introduced that year was the Centenary, Omega’s first chronometer-certified wristwatch. An iconoclastic gold dress watch, highly limited in production, the Centenary took its name from the 100-year anniversary it commemorated and its design would provide the template of a collection that would debut several years later, in 1952, called the Constellation. (Both the Seamaster and the Centenary, incidentally, were the brainchildren of watch designer René Bannwart, who would go on to...

Beaubleu Launches the Ecce, the French Brand’s First Permanent Collection Worn & Wound
Oct 6, 2023

Beaubleu Launches the Ecce, the French Brand’s First Permanent Collection

Beaubleu is a French brand that we’ve covered a handful of times since their debut in 2017, and we certainly have a soft spot for their quirky and contemporary design language. The basic idea is rather simple, at least on paper: instead of traditional hands, Beaubleu uses circular rings of different sizes to tell the time. As they move around the dial, it creates a very different impression than what you’d see on a normal watch, and causes some reflection as to why traditional handsets, with their inherent precision, are so commonplace to begin with. Like Alain Silberstein’s designs, Beaubleu’s watches remind us that a watch can be anything, and that shape is a critical element in how we relate to watches both practically and emotionally. Beaubleu, to this point, has also done a fantastic job of using color to drive these ideas home. With their new Ecce line of watches, the brand’s first permanent collection, Beaubleu has further refined their aesthetic, adding a bracelet for the first time, and making subtle changes to their dials and cases that allow everything to work together a bit more harmoniously.  The core of the design, of course, is unchanged. We still get the unique circular hands in the three models that launch the Ecce collection, with a large running seconds circle, a small hours circle, and a medium sized minutes circle in between. The 39mm cases have sculpted flanks and prominent, brushed circular bezel that complements the hands as well the circ...

Longines Adds a Titanium Flyback Chronograph to the Spirit Collection Worn & Wound
Longines Adds Oct 5, 2023

Longines Adds a Titanium Flyback Chronograph to the Spirit Collection

Earlier this year, to considerable fanfare on their part, Longines launched the Flyback Chronograph within their Spirit Collection. The Spirit Collection has been critical for Longines over these past few years. It’s a spot in the catalog where the brand is really trying to carve out a niche for themselves in the contemporary watch landscape. After years of being better than possibly any other brand at raiding the archives for heritage based reissues, the Spirit Collection seems like a conscious choice to branch out into something different – to prove that Longines has a foot in the modern watch world, and isn’t just playing the hits. For me, the Spirit Collection really gelled with the introduction of its first titanium watch. This no date execution of the Spirit in a super lightweight metal really felt like the brand finding a groove with a new product line, and they’ve now somewhat predictably added a titanium version of the Flyback Chronograph to the collection, adding some symmetry to the catalog and perhaps a more wearable version of an impressive, but large, chrono. The broad strokes of the Flyback are virtually identical to the steel version issued earlier this year. We get a 42mm case that’s 17mm (yes, 17mm) thick, with a rotating 60 minute timing bezel with a ceramic insert, mounted to a matching titanium bracelet or a textile strap. The dial is anthracite, complementing the tone of the grade 5 titanium rather well, with subdials at 3:00 and 9:00 for mi...