21,687 articles · 5,637 videos found · page 827 of 911
Fratello
The Breitling Navitimer 806 with a black dial and sub-dials was on my wish list for quite a time. But it is not an easy watch to get your hands on. Despite that fact, I had two of them within the last two years. Well, as of today, I don’t have any either anymore. Let’s […] Visit #TBT A Farewell Song For My All-Black Breitling Navitimer Ref. 806 to read the full article.
Monochrome
One of the main topics of Seiko in recent years, besides renewing its classics and applying a downsizing strategy, has been to bring the GMT complication to its most affordable collections. It all started with the Seiko 5 Sports GMT, which made quite a solid impression on the team. The same concept has then been […]
SJX Watches
Seiko just unveiled the Astron GPS Solar 2024 Limited Editions SSH157J1 and SSJ027J1. Both feature a transparent, patterned dial inspired by the starry night sky and a multi-faceted angular titanium case with contrasting satin and mirror-polished surfaces. Though styled like conventional watches, they are high-tech and run on Seiko’s proprietary GPS solar movement, which is accurate to +/- 15 seconds per month and has six months of power reserve. Initial thoughts Well liked for its value-minded offerings, Seiko does well with watches like the new Astron GPS. They are practical, high-quality watches that have some of the stylistic glamour of pricier timepieces thanks to the facetted case and integrated bracelet. Seiko Astron GPS Solar 2024 Limited Editions SSJ027J1. Featuring a reasonable prices of US$2,200 and US$2,500 respectively, the new Astron pair offers are amongst the more expensive electronic watches but executed as well as mechanical offerings in the same price segment. The titanium are finished well and the moulded sky-blue dials with applied indices are unusual elaborate for electric watches. Putting the high-tech movement aside, the quality of the dial and case are good for the price range. Bang for your buck The Astron GPS Solar models offer a chronograph function and run on a GPS solar movement with a power reserve of about 6 months. They are each equipped with different movements, with the SSH157J1 offering additional functionalities like the world time a...
Monochrome
Kauri is an independent watchmaking brand recently founded by Samuel Gillioz. This young watchmaker studied at the École d’Horlogerie de Genève before gaining experience at Timelab and Vacheron Constantin in the highly respected Cabinotiers workshop. In 2019, Samuel Gillioz launched Kauri with the vision of creating something unique and original. The main specificity of his […]
Teddy Baldassarre
While it was established relatively recently, in 1994, Glashütte Original can legitimately trace its lineage as far back as 1845, which also happens to be the year that watchmaking essentially arrived as an industry in Germany. As I cover in much greater detail in this article, a full century of horological tradition, centered in the town of Glashütte in the state of Saxony, came to an end with Germany’s defeat in World War II. It was replaced by a new era in which a state-owned conglomerate of once-independent heritage watch manufacturers, the Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe or GUB, shifted focus from artisanal techniques and luxuriously decorative timepieces to mass-produced tool watches for military and civilian customers. Many of the watches produced in the GUB era - spanning the Cold War years from 1951 up to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990 - are largely forgettable, but Glashütte Original, the luxury-watch firm that emerged from the dissolution of the GUB, has cherry-picked the most interesting and memorable of those utilitarian timepieces, produced in the late 1960s and ‘70s, for modern reimagining in its “Spezialist” series. Serving as the base model for the Spezialist models is a single, now-collectible divers’ sport watch from 1969, the Spezimatic Type RP TS 200, which was the first dive watch produced in Germany (technically, at the time, East Germany) that met the international ISO 6425 standard. Glashütte Original paid tribute to the fondly rem...
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SJX Watches
Though Louis Erard is best known for its high-profile collaborations with independent watchmakers like Konstantin Chaykin and Cédric Johner, the brand’s specialty is making interesting watchmaking accessible. Its signature complication is the regulator display complication, which has served as the foundation for several limited editions. The brand continues to do that with the Le Régulateur Grand Feu Enamel, a regulator wristwatch featuring a two-part fired enamel dial in striking ivory. Initial thoughts The new release has a subtle ivory dial produced in a traditional manner, resulting in a glossy, nuanced finish feel evocative of dials usually found on pricier timepieces. Its contemporary typeface and numerals complements minimalist style. Dial aside, the latest regulator is identical to the standard model and contains the same Sellita calibre. As a result, despite the elegant styling, it’s a chunky watch that’s almost 14 mm thick. Nevertheless, this keeps the Le Régulateur Grand Feu Enamel affordable at CHF4,400, which is strong value considering that most watches with such dials cost at least twice as much. Ivory enamel Louis Erard once again turned to Donzé Cadrans, the enamel dial specialist owned by Ulysse Nardin, for this grand feu enamel dial. Unsurprisingly Donzé was also the supplier for the ivory enamel dial in Excellence Email Grand Feu in 2021. The time-only Excellence Email Grand Feu The production of grand feu enamel dials has a high rejection...
Worn & Wound
Once again, TAG Heuer has released a new Monaco chronograph to celebrate the running of the Monaco Grand Prix, which took place over the weekend in, you guessed it, Monaco. While it’s surely a bit on-the-nose to unveil a new chronograph that is named after the race itself on race weekend, we’ll forgive TAG here given the simple fact that the Monaco Grand Prix’s place in our culture. If it’s not one of the most watched races in the world, it’s certainly one of the most recognizable and well known. The word “Monaco” to many will immediately conjure images of the race, unless it’s heard by a watch collector, in which case iconic square cased chrono is likely to be front of mind. In any event, not introducing a new Monaco on race weekend would likely amount to a tactical error on TAG Heuer’s part, given the intense focus on F1 over the weekend. The new watch is effectively a new variant of the watch released last year, which introduced skeleton dials to the Monaco collection with brightly colored accents and lightweight titanium cases. Here we have a DLC coated titanium case measuring 39mm across and 15.2mm tall, with a skeletonized dial featuring dark blue and bright yellow accents. Skeleton dials can, of course, sometimes be a bit difficult to read, but time-telling on the skeletonized Monaco is fairly straightforward with sharp white minute markers at the perimeter of the blue minute ring, and oversized lume filled hour markers set against the Caliber 02...
Worn & Wound
Growing up in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, there were plenty of things I missed out on. I was too late to see the Rangers win the Stanley Cup, was rarely allowed to sit in rear-facing seats in the back of a car, and Nickelodeon’s Legends of the Hidden Temple was in re-runs before I was old enough to compete. According to my parents, I also missed out on one of the great toys of their youth - quicksilver. Growing up, they would often tell stories of cracking open a thermometer to play with the mysterious liquid metal inside, before making it very clear that the element also known as mercury was strictly off-limits. Now, thanks to a collaboration between Revolution and Isotope, we all have the opportunity to re-capture some of the fun of that elusive metal. The Isotope x Revolution Mercury draws inspiration from not only the aforementioned element but also the iconic Mercury Streamliner train designed by Henry Dreyfuss and the Roman god Mercury, from whom both the train and the element take their names. The result is a unique watch with a level of polish I’m not sure I’ve ever encountered before - though the Sartory Billard and Grail Watch SB07 “Ghost” sure comes close. The Mercury answers the question of what a dress watch from Isotope would look like. The Art Deco-inspired cushion case of the Mercury measures 38mm across, 44.5mm lug-to-lug, 10mm thick, with a 20mm lug width, and is 100 meters water resistant. It’s also fully mirror-polished. And when...
Fratello
I’m sorry; I misunderstood the task at hand. This is not about me being given €7,500 to spend on three watches… I’ve reluctantly given myself a purchasing embargo, and for an addict, that’s not easy, hence the happy outburst. But I still relish the challenge of picking the best watches under €2,500, which is not […] Visit Fratello Favorites: The Best Watches Under €2,500 - Thor’s Picks From Tissot, SpaceOne, And Sinn to read the full article.
Monochrome
The ETA Valjoux 7750 chronograph movement is well-known in the world of watchmaking for being tough, reliable, and versatile. Since it was first introduced in the early 1970s, it has gained a strong reputation for being accurate and long-lasting, which has made it a favourite chronograph calibre among both watchmakers and enthusiasts. In addition, the […]
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Monochrome
Sustainability is a big trend in watchmaking today as brands jump on the bandwagon of environmentally friendly products. Some, like Chopard, ensure the sustainable source of their gold, while others look to innovative recycled materials with a lower carbon footprint. As a brand with legitimate and historical maritime ties, Ulysse Nardin’s environmental focus is the […]
Worn & Wound
Massena LAB has announced a new collaboration with independent watchmaker Raúl Pagès inspired by one of the most important Patek Philippe watches of the last century. The Absinthe, which serves as the direct follow-up to the pair’s massively successful 2022 release, the Magraph, brings together a proprietary hand-wound movement, a strikingly green dial (reminiscent of the infamous spirit for which the watch is named), and all the vintage charm we have come to expect from Massena LAB in one surprisingly affordable (and highly limited) package. William Massena is one of those rare figures in the watch industry who everyone seems to know. He’s an outsized presence who seemingly manages to be everywhere at once and have a hand in every facet of the watch industry. Over the last few years though, his name has come to be associated primarily with Massena LAB, where he consistently produces some of the most talked about limited editions and collaborations on the market. This latest release follows closely on the heels of a watch introduced last month. That watch - a collaboration between Massena LAB, Pagès, and Phillips Auction House in association with Bass & Russo - debuted the M690 movement used in the Absinthe and drew inspiration in its layout from the iconic (and record-setting) 1952 Patek Philippe ref. 2458 produced for J.B. Champion, Jr. That watch was one of only two Patek wrist watches to have been fitted with an Observatory-grade movement, and its unique d...
SJX Watches
Tissot added to the Chemin Des Tourelles Squelette collection of accessibly-priced skeleton watches. Sharing the same exact case design as last year’s updated model, the trio of new additions have open-worked dials that display the inner workings of the Powermatic 80 calibre. Both the styling and movement are no-frills, and matched with a price below US$1,000, making them a good option for the beginner enthusiast. Initial thoughts Tissot is known for affordable Swiss-made watches and the Chemin des Tourelles Skeleton is exactly that. The novelty of the watch lies in the open dial that reveals the skeleton movement. Although the calibre isn’t fancily executed, it is cleanly finished and provides visual detail that sets this apart from most similarly priced watches. The design is also enhanced by the fact that it doesn’t have a date, which gives the dial a clean, symmetrical appearance. Priced between US$895 and US$975, the Chemin des Tourelles Skeleton is a good value proposition, especially since skeleton watches are not common in this price segment. Entry-level skeleton While the sporty PRX collection is now its most high profile product, the brand overhauled the Chemin des Tourelles line last year. Named after the street where the Tissot headquarters are located, Chemin des Tourelles is made up of dress watches, with the skeleton model being the top-of-the-line. The Chemin des Tourelles Skeleton has a case that’s 39 mm in diameter and 11.2 mm thick, with a domed ...
Time+Tide
Metallurgy is one of those rare studies which still manages to feel like magic in the 21st century, even when we have all the science we need to understand it. For most people however, the mystery ends with the simple knowledge that silver is a white metal, and gold has a couple of different numbers … ContinuedThe post The Time+Tide guide to universal hallmarks appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
It still surprises Martin Green just how fast the Odysseus has become a staple collection for A. Lange & Söhne. It has only been three short years, during which time Lange has already launched stainless steel and white gold versions. And at Watches and Wonders 2022, A. Lange & Söhne presented a surprising Odysseus in titanium.
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Worn & Wound
On an unusually warm day in early March, I was invited to visit Sinn headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. Sinn had prepared a special program including a special exhibition showcasing their technologies over the last 30 years in the main foyer. This was followed by a factory tour, and finally seeing their latest collection. Most of us are familiar with the origins of Sinn, which all started with Helmut Sinn, who was a flight instructor, and former World War II pilot. The company’s core business under his ownership was the manufacturing of navigation clocks and pilot chronographs. In 1994, certified engineer Lothar Schmidt acquired the company from Helmut Sinn and renamed it to “Sinn Spezialuhren GmbH”. Lothar Schmidt worked previously with IWC, and was also part of Günter Blümlein’s team to revive A. Lange & Söhne. This year Sinn is celebrating 30 years since Mr. Schmidt acquired the company. It was a coincidence that the day of my visit, news broke regarding Mr. Schmidt’s succession plans. He will celebrate his 75th birthday this year, and announced plans to create a foundation similar to the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, that will own the shares of Sinn and its subsidiary companies. Mr. Schmidt also owns the SUG casemaker in the famous watchmaking village of Glashütte. Over the past 30 years, Mr. Schmidt, with his engineering background, has developed several technologies for Sinn watches. In 1995, Ar-Dehumidifying Technology was introduced for the first tim...
Monochrome
Awake, a spirited French watchmaking brand, initially grabbed our attention with its NASA-themed series (now sold out), followed by the Time Travellers collection featuring meteorite dials (also sold out). Towards the end of last year, Awake unveiled the Summetria collection, boasting dials adorned with coloured guilloché patterns, which are still available. Now, the brand introduces […]
Fratello
Hello, and welcome! Thanks for tuning in to this week’s episode of Fratello Talks. Today, Nacho, Morgan, and Daan pick their desert island watches. Say one day you were unfortunate enough to become stranded on a desert island; which watch from your collection would you want there with you? Now, let’s say it’s not a […] Visit Fratello Talks: Desert Island Watches to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
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 Omega Seamaster DeVille The Seamaster DeVille line was Omega’s dressier version of their sporty Seamaster. This example looks much like the Geneve line they put out, with its simple round case and thin bezel with straight skinny lugs. Very clean and classic 1960’s dress watch look, especially with the gold cap case. The 34-35mm case is in nice shape, and the gold cap is holding up strong. The original silver dial looks good, with a few specks here and there. The watch has the correct and original crown, and also comes with the original seven-row beads of rice bracelet! Seller states the watch runs and keeps time, so you’re all set for your next cocktail party! View auction here 1970s Initial Dynamic Here’s a wild one for you, a vintage 1970’s direct read/jump hour from Initial Dynamic. Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of them, I haven’t either! But that doesn’t mean this isn’t a super cool looking watch. Check out that oval ‘dial’, with the awesome direct read window on the left, and matching date window on the right. The chrome plated case is excellent, with sharp edges and the original brushed finish. The strap looks original to me, with a cool met...
Fratello
People sometimes ask me on Instagram and in person which watches they should get. They often expect me to suggest watches from big names like Rolex, Cartier, and Omega. And yes, those brands make and offer great watches, but they’re also rather expensive for most people. In this series, we’re looking at our favorite watches […] Visit Fratello Favorites: The Best Watches Under €2,500 - Daan’s Picks From Mido, Oris, And Polo Ralph Lauren to read the full article.
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Worn & Wound
Underpromise and over deliver pretty much sums up Aukland, New Zealand’s Beaufort Watches. Their goal is to create timeless pieces that fit all the criteria we look for in watches. A great story, a captivating design, and capabilities that can go beyond their specifications. Self-described as a brand that wants to invigorate the present with designs from the past, they seem to have successfully done so. New for 2024 is the Pulsatimer, which is Beaufort’s version of a pulsometer chronograph. Unlike previous models, there is a clear inspirational shift, and Brutalist styling has been at the forefront of Beaufort’s new design language following their rebranding in late 2023. This new piece is the first model following this shift in focus. Informed by the harsh angles of Brutalist architecture, throughout the watch, you will notice many steps. From the pulsations ring, subdials and the stepped bezel, all drawing from two main sources of inspiration: The Faculty of Fine Arts, University of La Laguna, and University Campus, UTEC Lima. The aim was to give the Pulsatimer an old school industrial look with a touch of dressiness. Made of 316L stainless-steel, it features a mix of brushed, polished and media-blasted finishing. Measurements are 39mm in diameter, 13.8mm thick to the top of the box-domed sapphire crystal, and 47mm from lug tip to lug tip. Powering the Pulsatimer is the manually wound Sellita SW510 and it has a power-reserve of 63 hrs. It is also water-resistant ...
Fratello
The Gruen Curvex certainly ranks as an important line of historical watches. These pieces used a variety of curved cases and curved movements. During their two decades of production, they were the pinnacle of style and rivaled more expensive brands. Gruen also has a deep tie to America, which brings something different to the story. […] Visit Vintage Watches: The Gruen Curvex Lieutenant to read the full article.
SJX Watches
You can never be too rich or too thin – a quote attributed to Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, but it might as well have come from Piaget, which just debuted the thinnest tourbillon wristwatch in history, the Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon 150th Anniversary. Covered in-depth at launch, the AUC Tourbillon is just 2 mm thick, including the case and crystal; that makes the watch thinner than a Swiss five-franc coin. While its record-breaking dimensions are headline-grabbing, it’s the watch’s overall design and ergonomics that make it look and feel almost miraculous on the wrist. The AUC Tourbillon next to the five-franc coin; it’s also slimmer than the two-franc coin, and equivalent to about 20 sheets of A4 printer paper Initial thoughts Record-chasing, whether in terms of thickness, weight, water resistance, or complications, is a common theme in the watch industry, but the results are often gimmicky and impractical. When I heard that Piaget would be introducing the thinnest tourbillon in history, I rolled my eyes. But my perspective changed as soon as I picked up the AUC Tourbillon, a moment that stands out in my memory as a highlight of Watches & Wonders 2024. The watch is thin, of course, but the immediate impression is one of substance; it feels far more substantial than it looks. This is in part due to the M64BC cobalt alloy case, the extreme rigidity of which makes the watch’s 2 mm thinness possible. Furthermore, the ergonomics of the case, which is...
Monochrome
Recently, we’ve discovered the new haute horlogerie creations of Louis Vuitton, which included a trio of artistic models inspired by the universe of Gaston-Louis Vuitton, as well as a striking take on horology by architect Frank Gehry. There was a third watch introduced, one that really made an impression on us with its combination of […]
Quill & Pad
The “unobtanium” phenomenon isn’t limited to watches from the past, there are a variety of references for which supply seems to lag demand. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the current market for select steel sports watches. Here GaryG highlights some interesting dynamics caused by that imbalance, led by a loud chorus of complaints from prospective buyers.
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