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Owner’s Perspective: Seiko 5 Sports SKX SRPL87K In The Vibrant Yellow Dial WatchAdvice
Seiko 5 Sports SKX SRPL87K Dec 5, 2025

Owner’s Perspective: Seiko 5 Sports SKX SRPL87K In The Vibrant Yellow Dial

A bright yellow Seiko that reminds you that watches are meant to be fun. They don’t all have to be technical and serious, just pure enjoyment on the wrist! This is my story with the SRPL87K. What We Love The mango-yellow dial brings instant personality and fun to any outfit. It’s an easy grab-and-go mechanical watch you never have to think twice about. The 5-link bracelet upgrade elevates the whole look far more than expected. What We Don’t The lume is good, but not as strong as some other Seiko models. 100m water resistance is fine, but 200m would’ve felt closer to classic SKX DNA. No bracelet option for the yellow dial out of the box — a missed opportunity given how good it looks on one. Overall Rating: 8.6/10 Value for money: 9/10 Wearability: 8.5/10 Design: 8.5/10 Build quality: 8.5/10 There’s something about Seiko’s SKX range that leaves an impression on you. Even if you never owned the original model, the SKX collection of modern is the entry-level diver and the perfect canvas for those who love to mod their timepieces. It is the watch that turned a lot of casual wearers into full enthusiasts! While Seiko may have closed the chapter on the original SKX line many years ago, the spirit of the collection certainly didn’t disappear. There have been many modern iterations in Seiko’s current collections that have been inspired by SKX models of the past, each carrying hints of the familiar dive watch DNA: the practicality, the simplicity, everyday toughnes...

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Introducing – Indies Pöhlmann-Bresan Team up with Jochen Benzinger For a Superb Unique Piece Monochrome
Dec 4, 2025

Introducing – Indies Pöhlmann-Bresan Team up with Jochen Benzinger For a Superb Unique Piece

Lukas Pöhlmann and Josef Bresan-Rehor are two German watchmakers who met more than a decade ago while working under Marco Lang at Lang & Heyne in Dresden. They represent a new generation of artisans who combine a deep respect for traditional craft with a modern, understated aesthetic. After mastering restoration work and experimentation, they formally […]

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First Look – Ressence Type 3 Marc Newson, A Meeting of Two Design Worlds Monochrome
Ressence Type 3 Marc Newson Dec 4, 2025

First Look – Ressence Type 3 Marc Newson, A Meeting of Two Design Worlds

Ressence is not what one would call a conventional watchmaker, and let’s hope it never will be. Since its founding in 2010, Benoît Mintiens’ Antwerp-based brand has built its catalogue and reputation by rethinking what a mechanical watch should feel like rather than what it should represent. This time, Ressence reaches out beyond its own […]

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Breguet Ends a Big Anniversary Year with the Impressive Expérimentale 1 Worn & Wound
Breguet Ends Dec 1, 2025

Breguet Ends a Big Anniversary Year with the Impressive Expérimentale 1

As if winning the top prize at the GPHG were not enough, Breguet has capped off their big 250th anniversary year with the launch of what is surely their most horologically interesting and cutting edge release in years. The Expérimentale 1 is an ambitious foray into contemporary haute horlogerie from a brand that more than most is associated with classicism. It incorporates and merges multiple technologies and advancements into a remarkably cohesive idea that might even have those of us who have always bristled at the controversial Marine collection rethinking its potential.  The showstopping feature of the new Expérimentale 1 is the tourbillon, the first ever to beat at 10 Hz. Bregust is quick to remind us that most tourbillons run at a rate of 2.5 Hz, so this represents a dramatic increase and in theory should provide a variety of chronometric benefits, including rate stability over the duration of the power reserve and a better baseline level of accuracy. But it’s not just a high frequency tourbillon. Breguet has also developed and introduced a new magnetic escapement that is designed to provide constant force to the balance. The logic here is fairly straightforward even if the mechanics themselves are, frankly, somewhat difficult wrap your arms around without real watchmaking experience (this, by the way, is essentially my constant of being as I observe similar watchmaking advancements – wide eyed and impressed but quite frequently confused by all the math and ph...

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Vyntage Horology Debuts the Sleek and Sophisticated Strata SJX Watches
Dec 1, 2025

Vyntage Horology Debuts the Sleek and Sophisticated Strata

One of the surprises of Dubai Watch Week was the chance to go hands-on with the Strata, the latest watch from Vyntage Horology. Slim, lightweight, and water-resistant to 100 m, the Strata nods to the cushion-case designs of the 1970s without reviving any specific model, instead pairing a radiant burgundy dial with a silky grade 5 titanium case and bracelet for a look that feels contemporary rather than nostalgic. Vyntage itself was conceived by Mohammed Abdulmagied Seddiqi, chief executive of Ahmed Seddiqi - the Gulf region’s largest retailer and a pillar of Dubai’s watch scene for 75 years. The brand was created to bring an Emirati sensibility to Swiss watchmaking, and its retailer backing gives it a degree of stability and visibility uncommon among small, typically internet-native marques.    Initial thoughts The Strata is a ‘go anywhere, do anything’ watch par excellence, managing to be both slim and lightweight, while water resistant to 100 m. Despite its name, Vyntage is not in the business of remakes. The Strata nods to 1970-era cushion-case sport watches with integrated bracelets, but it is not a revival of any specific model. Instead, the combination of a rich burgundy dial and a silky titanium case and bracelet gives the watch a contemporary presence that sets it apart from conventional retro-themed offerings. Ahmed Seddiqi, the Gulf region’s largest watch retailer and a fixture in Dubai for 75 years, has long catered to a collector base oriented tow...

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Maurice LaCroix Aikon Review Teddy Baldassarre
Maurice Lacroix Nov 26, 2025

Maurice LaCroix Aikon Review

The watch industry only gets more and more competitive each year. Some brands have managed to thrive, and independent watchmakers are more game for the challenge than ever. Others, still, get somewhat lost within the mix. Today, I’m taking a deeper look at a brand that I honestly don’t hear much about, and, through the vehicle of its current flagship model, exploring what it has to offer. As you’ve already guessed from the title of this here article, the subject at hand is the Maurice LaCroix Aikon collection. Characterized by classic integrated bracelet style with a few specific quirks to the mix, the Aikon collection hasn’t managed to go mainstream like some similar competition. Down below, I’ll be walking you through a primer about the brand, the key ingredients of the Maurice LaCroix Aikon, and some personal ramblings on what the collection has to offer, and what it’s lacking.  [toc-section heading="Context"] Like many Swiss watch brands, Maurice LaCroix has a history that can be traced back to the end of the 19th century. However, that historical journey is among the more atypical out there. This 19th-century connection is the Maurice LaCroix ties to its parent company, Desco von Schulthess, which was founded in Zurich in 1889, and for many years, had nothing to do with watches. Initially starting in the silk trade, after WWII, Desco von Schulthess expanded into luxury goods and acted as a distributor for Swiss watches to the Asian market. In 1961, the co...

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How Bronze Watches Patina Teddy Baldassarre
Nov 25, 2025

How Bronze Watches Patina

The bronze watch patina is one of the most fascinating, naturally occurring phenomena in watch collecting. So much so that it seemed every horological player wanted to put its own spin on this rugged, sea-worn metal around a decade ago. A lot has changed in watchmaking since then. Manufacturers have pushed boundaries further than we ever thought possible, offering enthusiasts a vast array of proprietary materials to choose from, with bronze taking its place alongside classic favorites like stainless steel and gold. Bronze watches remain a compelling choice among collectors today.  Article by Nina Scally [toc-section heading="Bronze Watches Context"]  Despite its association with maritime history, this corrosion-resistant material has infiltrated the pilot-watch sphere and established a foothold in the category of field watches as well. Today, bronze continues to cast its rich, warm nuances over some of the world’s most beautiful and evocative neo-vintage dive watches as well. Indeed, this ancient metal of seafaring legends appears to have secured its place on the wrists of watch enthusiasts for the foreseeable future. So there seems no better time than now to delve into how bronze has come to settle within the watch-collecting landscape, and why its slow-burning patina and rugged charm have cemented it as a modern collector’s favorite.  [toc-section heading="How Patina Develops"]  Would you ever walk into a dealership and ask, “Do you have something that’s alre...

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Zenith Continues Its Lupin The 3rd Series With The Chronomaster Revival Daisuke Jigen Edition Fratello
Zenith Continues Nov 22, 2025

Zenith Continues Its Lupin The 3rd Series With The Chronomaster Revival Daisuke Jigen Edition

Talk about releases you didn’t see coming! When Zenith released the third model of the much-praised Lupin the Third series in early 2022, it looked like the remarkable trilogy was complete and the series had concluded. But more than three years later, Zenith surprises us with a fourth model! The new Zenith Chronomaster Revival Daisuke […] Visit Zenith Continues Its Lupin The 3rd Series With The Chronomaster Revival Daisuke Jigen Edition to read the full article.

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Watch Hands: A Guide to the 14 Most Popular Styles Teddy Baldassarre
Nov 20, 2025

Watch Hands: A Guide to the 14 Most Popular Styles

Watch hands are more important to a timepiece's design than you might think. A watch can have the most beautiful dial in the world but it isn't really a watch unless it tells you the time. And while the wide world of watches does offer some intriguing exceptions to the classical analog style that's been established for centuries, the vast majority of timepieces still adheres to that formula: two main hands, one for the hour, one for the minute, sometimes joined by a third for the seconds, pointing to the time on a numbered ring. All watch hands do essentially the same jobs, so one might assume that little thought and creativity goes into designing and crafting such a utilitarian element of horology. One would be mistaken, however, since watchmakers over the years have created numerous hand types, each of which imparts its own distinctive character to a watch's overall aesthetic. Here is a rundown of a dozen of the most significant styles used on watches today, and a little about where each came from and how it got its name. [toc-section heading="Breguet Hands"] Designed by Abraham-Louis Breguet, founder of the eponymous luxury watch maison and inventor of numerous horological devices including the tourbillon, Breguet hands made their first appearance on a watch in 1783, Traditionally crafted in blued steel, they are recognizable for their slim shafts and “hollow moons” near the tips. An indicator of classically elegant design, and often paired with Roman numerals, or...

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Hands On: Vacheron Constantin Celestia Astronomer Duo SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin Celestia Astronomer Duo Marking Nov 17, 2025

Hands On: Vacheron Constantin Celestia Astronomer Duo

Marking its 270th anniversary, Vacheron Constantin has approached the milestone with uncommon ambition. The anniversary programme continues with a duo of one-of-a-kind Les Cabinotiers pieces - Celestia Homage to Ptolemy and Celestia Homage to Copernicus - developed under the brand’s ongoing “The Quest” theme. These one-off creations showcase the manufacture’s dual mastery of horology and métiers d’art. Presented here is a rare hands-on look at both before they disappear into private collections. The pair follows an already packed year that opened with the debut of the Solaria, a landmark wristwatch that claims the title of the most complicated ever made thanks to its 41 functions. Soon after came La Quête du Temps, a monumental astronomical clock that recently wrapped up its exhibition at the Louvre in Paris. Taken together, these creations underscore not only the scale of VC’s technical reach but also the brand’s talent for blending engineering, artistry, and traditional craft. Initial thoughts Each of the new Les Cabinotiers watches expresses a different facet of VC’s watchmaking identity. The new Celestia references utilise the brand’s earlier cal. 3600, but elevate it through intricate case engraving that links science with art. As a pair, these watches reinforce the idea that VC’s greatest strength lies in synthesis. Few manufactures can move so fluidly between engineering precision and artistic refinement. As unique pieces, pricing is largel...

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Czapek Celebrates Ten Years with the All New Time Jumper Worn & Wound
Czapek Celebrates Ten Years Nov 12, 2025

Czapek Celebrates Ten Years with the All New Time Jumper

We’re heading into a big new release period as much of the watch industry descends on Geneva for the upcoming GPHG awards ceremony, and then heads to Dubai for the Dubai Watch Week festivities. There’s sure to be a ton of news made in the next two weeks as this year’s best watches receive their flowers and we get a first look at many of the new novelties that will close out the year as head into the holiday rush, and tempt us for 2026. Czapek, the Swiss indie best known for their Antarctique line of integrated bracelet sports watches, is first out of the gate among higher end independents with a new novelty just announced today. The Time Jumper is an audacious new piece made to celebrate the brand’s tenth anniversary, reaching back into Czapek’s roots before the current incarnation of the brand was incorporated, and also putting a new spin on a complication that has been all the rage this year.  When I first heard that Czapek would be releasing something new and splashy to celebrate their tenth anniversary, my mind immediately began wondering “I wonder what kind of Antarctique they’ve come up with?” I should not have been so cynical, but it’s an unavoidable fact that the brand has really leaned into the popularity of the integrated bracelet sports watch platform since the first of these watches was introduced around five years ago. There have, of course, been many iterations, limited editions, and complications, and it probably would have been easy enoug...

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Seiko Marinemaster SJE101 Review: Divisive But Wears Like A Dream Teddy Baldassarre
Seiko Nov 4, 2025

Seiko Marinemaster SJE101 Review: Divisive But Wears Like A Dream

The Seiko Prospex Marinemaster SJE101 1965 Diver’s Modern Reinterpretation is definitely a mouthful, but it’s definitely with purpose. Part of the higher-end Seiko Luxe family, the SJE101 evokes two icons - the 62MAS and Marinemaster - but can it live up to those lofty expectations? The answer, as you can imagine, is mixed. What’s for sure, though is that this is a uniquely wearable Seiko Prospex dive watch that measures less than 40mm and has some really impressive finishes. That said, the Marinemaster title carries a lot of expectations with it, and there has been a fair share of discourse about whether it lives up or not. Seiko Marinemaster Context What exactly is the big deal with the Seiko Marinemaster? Let’s take a look at how it came to be such a lauded name in the diver category. The first watch in the collection was actually the Seiko Marinemaster Quartz SBCN005, aka the Transocean from 1999. This was a 44mm-wide titanium watch that was highly functional with barometric pressure measurement and barometric trend display. A year later in 2000, the Marinemaster SBDX001 was released, boasting 300 meters of water resistance and no helium escape valve. The Marinemaster family would continue in production until about 2018, when it began to disappear in favor of the larger Prospex family. But about five years later, the Marinemaster would come back in the form of this collection. More than a couple of people have asked whether this is “really a Marinemaster...

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Atelier Wen Launches the Inflection, a Bold New Watch with a Tantalum Case and Bracelet Worn & Wound
Audemars Piguet Nov 3, 2025

Atelier Wen Launches the Inflection, a Bold New Watch with a Tantalum Case and Bracelet

Sometimes a watch comes along that feels like a culmination of something. The Atelier Wen Inflection, for anyone who has been following the brand or had a conversation with founder Robin Tallendier in the last few years, will likely have more than a whiff of that. After years of teases, hints, and lots of evidence of lofty ambitions, Atelier Wen’s full tantalum integrated bracelet sports watch is finally here.  I don’t think it’s overstating to say that the use of tantalum in watchmaking has been a bit of an obsession for the Atelier Wen team. The metal, in a lot of ways, feels like one of the last remaining frontiers of high end watchmaking. It’s rarely used because it’s so difficult to work with, but has a bunch of desirable qualities that make it highly sought after by collectors. The color, for one, is unlike any other metal, often exhibiting a hint of a blue tint. It’s also heavy and dense, resulting in a completely unique wearing experience that, if you like a heftier watch on your wrist, is kind of addictive. We’ve begun to see more brands experiment with tantalum in their watches in recent years, including J.N. Shapiro and Audemars Piguet, and even more have used it as an accent in some way.  But regular production tantalum watches are incredibly rare, and according to Atelier Wen, the Inflection is the first serially produced tantalum watch with a full tantalum bracelet. It’s been in the works at Atelier Wen since at least 2022, and follows the l...

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30 Of The Best Titanium Watches Teddy Baldassarre
Nov 3, 2025

30 Of The Best Titanium Watches

Titanium is by no means a new material in the watch industry. In fact, it’s been used on a commercial level in case construction for more than 50 years. Titanium in its raw form as a structural metal is 40% lighter than stainless steel while still just as hard. Among its appeal for watchmaking purposes are the facts that it is also highly resistant to corrosion by the elements as well as being hypoallergenic. There are different grades of titanium as well, which offer different characteristics based on how it’s alloyed with other metals. Titanium ranges in color from dark gunmetal grey to a steely silver which gives it versatility in different applications. Perhaps the most enticing aspect of titanium, particularly from the consumer side, is that despite its high-quality characteristics, there isn’t a massive discrepancy between its price versus that of stainless steel. With that in mind, we've compiled a list of 30 outstanding titanium watches in a range of price categories. Citizen Promaster Super Titanium Armor  Case Size: 41 mm, Integrated 23.5 mm Bracelet, Thickness: 10.5 mm, Lug-to-Lug: 43.7 mm, Water Resistance: 100 m, Movement: Eco Drive J810, Crystal: Sapphire, Price: $625 In 1970, Citizen launched the very first titanium wrist watch called the X-8 Cosmotron Chronometer. Today, Citizen uses what it calls Super Titanium, a titanium alloy coated with a proprietary hardening agent that increases the hardness of the metal to five times that of stainless steel. ...

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Why Every Watch Collector Needs A “Calatrava” Fratello
IWC Calatrava” Cal 89 Nov 3, 2025

Why Every Watch Collector Needs A “Calatrava”

There’s something about a classic dress watch that resonates beyond fleeting trends. For me, it all started with the vintage IWC “Calatrava” Cal. 89 that I inherited from my grandfather. It is a watch from a bygone era when watchmaking was all about understated elegance, mechanical mastery, and timeless design. Recently, my Fratello colleagues discussed […] Visit Why Every Watch Collector Needs A “Calatrava” to read the full article.

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The 2026 Winter Olympics are 100 Days Away, and Omega Has a New Speedmaster to Celebrate Worn & Wound
Omega Has Oct 29, 2025

The 2026 Winter Olympics are 100 Days Away, and Omega Has a New Speedmaster to Celebrate

It’s that time again. The air is getting crisper, the days are getting shorter, and, for better or for worse, the realization that winter will soon set in is becoming more and more real. If you’re like me, and dread fighting snowy streets and icey…everything, this is a less than exciting time. But if you’re Omega? Well, that’s a different story. They are in countdown mode to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, and they’ve just released a new Speedmaster to mark 100 days from the start of the games.  The Speedmaster Milano Cortina 2026 is built on the 38mm Speedmaster platform, and comes in a stainless steel case that measures 14.75mm tall. The dial is evocative of the snowy mountains that will be the setting for the games for next year, with a varnished white surface and subtle blue accents that evoke the Milano Cortina 2026 logo. The blue ceramic bezel and blue CVD coated hour markers keep the theme coherent and appropriately wintery. Another nice detail is that the chronograph hand has a gradient finish, going from light blue at its base to dark blue at its tip. Also, when the date window shows the 26th of the month, it does so in the typeface of the Milano Cortina logo.  The Speedmaster Milano Cortina 2026 runs on the Caliber 3330, an automatic movement with over 50 hours of power reserve and COSC certification. This, of course, is not a traditionalist’s Speedy, but more akin to the “Reduced” models of an earlier era. The 38mm size is easy to...

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Citizen’s Cutting-Edge Quartz Shines in Recrystallised Titanium SJX Watches
Citizen s Cutting-Edge Quartz Shines Oct 29, 2025

Citizen’s Cutting-Edge Quartz Shines in Recrystallised Titanium

The new Citizen Attesa Platinum Shine collection leans into the brand’s two greatest strengths: cutting-edge quartz technology and mastery of titanium. With three limited edition references in a new platinum-coloured hue, Citizen demonstrates why it’s still the leader in titanium watches, 55 years after making the first one. Thanks to a decadent recrystallised titanium bracelet and nearly scratch-proof Duratect coating, the new Attesa proves that quartz can still feel luxurious. Ref. CB0284-66A. Initial thoughts Almost as soon as quartz timekeeping technology began to mature and prices began to fall in the 1980s, makers of quartz watches began to cede the luxury end of market to brands that focused on mechanical watches. But that never stopped a few brands, Citizen and Seiko chief among them, from pursuing the development of ever-better quartz technology and bringing it to market in a premium format. The ultimate expression of this focus is probably the Citizen cal. 0100, the most accurate wristwatch in the world. The Citizen 0100 – the world’s most accurate wristwatch. But quartz is just one part of the equation for Citizen, which has also achieved a leading market position in two specific fields. The first is solar power. Light-powered watches is nothing new, dating back to 1972, but it was Citizen’s advances in the late 1970s that propelled this technology forward. In 1995, the brand debuted Eco-Drive, which remains the leading light in solar-powered timekeep...

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Exaequo Adds New References to their Lineup of Dali Inspired Melting Watches Worn & Wound
Cartier Crash Oct 28, 2025

Exaequo Adds New References to their Lineup of Dali Inspired Melting Watches

It’s hard to overstate the impact that Salvador Dalí-and, by extension, the Surrealist movement-had on popular culture. What might now feel like a strange detour in an art history textbook was, in reality, a radical reimagining of what art could be. Dalí’s obsession with the unconscious, symbolism, and dream logic reframed art as a psychological response to culture, rather than just a mirror of it. In doing so, Surrealism paved the way for the Avant-Garde, Pop Art, and the way we think about art today. It’s no surprise, then, that Dalí’s legacy continues to ripple through design and (not to be dramatic here) time itself. Brands have long used his vision as a jumping-off point for their own explorations of time and perception, most notably, of course, through reinterpretations of some of Dali’s most famous works, like his 1931 The Persistence of Memory. The Cartier Crash, with its iconic “melting clock” case, is probably the most famous representation of this style; but it is not the only one. In fact, Exaequo has been producing its own version of a melting watch since 1990, with its latest references, the Polyhedron series, debuting at Time to Watches in Geneva earlier this year. While there will undoubtedly be comparisons between Cartier’s and  Exaequo’s two versions of a wobbly little timepiece, there is a marked difference between the two brands’ approach to the same reference source (not least of all the price). For the Polyhedron,  Exaequo...

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The Best Cartier Watches For Ladies Teddy Baldassarre
Cartier Oct 27, 2025

The Best Cartier Watches For Ladies

Cartier is a household name, easily crossing the threshold from watch insider (or luxury-object insider) to fully accepted in the broader cultural zeitgeist as a sort of “things dreams are made of” aspirational fare. If Rolex is the man’s peak piece of horological wanting, then by goodness, Cartier occupies an equal space in the minds of women watch buyers. Here we will go through some of the best Cartier ladies' watches. (Yes, of course there are plenty of women who look to Rolex the same way a man does, and vice versa with men and Cartier. The two brands stand shoulder to shoulder as perhaps the most recognizable names in the game.) To achieve the status of being labeled influential in watchmaking is one thing. Very few reach the rarified air of transcending the category altogether. Considering that watches are one of a very few pieces of physical "jewelry" that a man can wear, it’s remarkable that Cartier has been able to carve out a place of legitimate watch enthusiasm for the woman buyer who has far more choices in the category. Granted, Cartier operates in space beyond just watches, unlike the aforementioned Rolex.  Cartier History Becoming the most recognizable name, along with Rolex, in the watch industry, is a feat that Cartier didn’t accomplish overnight.  The luxury jewelry house was founded back in 1847 in Paris, France, by Louis-François Cartier. However, Cartier's rapid ascension as a watchmaker and jeweler came during the third generation of fam...

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Toto Wolff’s Race-Worn IWC Big Pilot XPL to Hammer for Charity SJX Watches
IWC Big Pilot XPL Oct 22, 2025

Toto Wolff’s Race-Worn IWC Big Pilot XPL to Hammer for Charity

A highlight of IWC’s long-standing partnership with Laureus Sport for Good, the organisation’s annual charity auction returns for 2025 with something a little different. Rather than a simple blue-dialed edition of a standard model, IWC is instead offering an existing watch with special provenance. Hammering this Saturday, the Big Pilot’s Watch Shock Absorber XPL Toto Wolff was worn by the Mercedes-AMG team boss himself during the recent Singapore Grand Prix. As ever, all proceeds benefit the Laureus Foundation Switzerland. Bidding is currently live online, and will conclude on October 25th at the Laureus Charity Night in Zurich. Initial thoughts IWC has cultivated an enduring partnership with Laureus Sport for Good dating back to 2005. It’s a good cause that uses sports programmes to improve the lives of children in over 40 countries. For the annual charity auction, IWC typically produces a special model with a blue dial for the charity auction each year. Over time, most of the brand’s collections have been tapped for service, from the Da Vinci to the Portofino and the Portugieser. Naturally, the emblematic Pilot’s Watch has reported for duty over the years as well. For 2025, IWC has departed from its own norms and is offering a single unit of the existing 100-piece Toto Wolff edition of the Big Pilot’s Watch Shock Absorber XPL. The twist is that it’s the actual watch worn over race weekend by team principal Toto Wolff himself, so the printed signature on t...

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Aera Introduces a New Automotive Inspired C-1 Chrono Worn & Wound
Oct 21, 2025

Aera Introduces a New Automotive Inspired C-1 Chrono

I have a reputation among family, friends, and colleagues for being car crazy, and though my obsession with motor vehicles tends to lean more towards Sunday cruises and wrenching rather than pure motorsports, I always appreciate a good lap-timer on my watches. That appreciation quickly turns to excitement when the watch in question veers away from the legions of brawny, busy chronographs on the market, and towards a more targeted design ethos, particularly anything midcentury modern. Enter the C-1 Chrono, the latest timepiece in the C-1 line from young British brand Aera. While not their first motorsport watch, the new C-1 Chrono takes aesthetic cues from the Porsche-inspired C-1 Rennsport and simplifies them down to a more legible, streamlined whole. The most striking element is, of course, the reverse-panda color scheme; a matte black dial, devoid of markings save for a very, very fine minute track around the outer diameter, allows the two matte white chronograph subdials at 6 and 9 o’clock to pop aggressively. The red hour, minute, and chronograph hands, and red and white seconds hand add that touch of automotive flair, bringing the aesthetic straight into the cockpit of a golden era sports car. The sans-serif Aera logo wears Globolight to glow white in low-light conditions, while the hands are coated in Grade X1 Swiss Super-Luminova.  Like their other C-1 watches, the Chrono is housed in a chunky 42mm brushed stainless steel case, measuring 49.55mm lug-to-lug. Two p...

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Mineral Stones for Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Flying Tourbillon SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Flying Tourbillon Oct 21, 2025

Mineral Stones for Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Flying Tourbillon

It took a while, but Audemars Piguet’s Code 11.59 has matured enough that the new debuts are more likely to be interesting than not. The Code 11.59 Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon 38 mm with stone dials aren’t a novel proposition, but they are a trio of good looking watches that use the dial design of the Code 11.59 to maximum effect, while also scaling down the case to 38 mm and relying on the impressively constructed cal. 2968. Audemars Piguet (AP) has experimented with various unusual materials for the Code 11.59 dial – the onyx version was launched three years ago – all of which have evidently been commercially successful, explaining the three new models with dials in mineral stones of red ruby root, blue sodalite, and green malachite, respectively. Initial thoughts The Code 11.59 was widely panned at launch in 2019, occasionally unfairly, but it’s evolved in the right direction since. The new tourbillon line-up illustrates this. The wide, relatively deep-set dial of the Code 11.59 makes it a good platform to show off dial patterns and textures, especially when executed in a minimalist way as it is done here. Mineral stone dials are recent fad, so the new Code 11.59 tourbillons aren’t revolutionary, but they look good. The three watches are each in a different colour of gold, but share the same case dimensions of 38 mm by 9.6 mm, making them smaller and thinner than the original, 41 mm version of the Code 11.59 tourbillon. The downsizing gives the case a sur...

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Cartier Tank a Guichets Review: A Quirky Art Deco Classic Returns Teddy Baldassarre
Cartier Oct 20, 2025

Cartier Tank a Guichets Review: A Quirky Art Deco Classic Returns

Usually, when we think of Cartier, our thoughts turn to classical luxury and elegance rather than military-style minimalism. However, the world-famous maison and “jeweler of kings” has long dabbled in both worlds, at least when it comes to watchmaking. And there is no better example of a timepiece that embodies that ethos than the rather unexpected headliner of Cartier’s new releases at the 2025 Watches & Wonders salon: the Cartier Privé Tank à Guichets.  The Tank à Guichets, of course, is an evolution of the original Cartier Tank watch, which is itself a historical example of a modern luxury item with clearly military inspiration (it’s right there in the name, actually).  Throughout its prestigious history since being unveiled in 1917 by its inventor, Louis Cartier, the Tank has evolved in ways that are both subtle and revolutionary and has appeared in forms of which many of us might not even be aware. Some of these more exotic and unusual Tank pieces have found their way back into the main collection in recent years as part of the Cartier Privé series, and it is from this series that the new Guichets, in its three distinctive iterations, does indeed hail.  The Original Cartier Tank But let’s start off by establishing where this watch’s design legacy began. The classic, original Cartier Tank, which didn’t actually go into serial production until 1919, derived its name and its rectangular, curvilinear case shape from the World War I-era Renault FT-17 t...

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TAG Heuer Formula 1 Review: The Retro Classic Returns Teddy Baldassarre
TAG Heuer Oct 18, 2025

TAG Heuer Formula 1 Review: The Retro Classic Returns

The twangs and pangs of nostalgia are a powerful emotional experience, and as we’ve seen across nearly every commercial industry in recent years, they make for an effective marketing strategy. We’ve been subjected to the ploys of the nostalgia scheme for the past decade and some change, and there has been no other watch release this year that has channeled it more intensely than the revival of TAG Heuer’s Formula 1. I would also say that, despite being something people wanted to see happen for years now, the new 2025 reimagining of the brand’s colorful, so-80s-it-almost-hurts line has been one of the most polarizing releases of the year – a mixed bag of people welcoming the collection with open arms, and others who were already exhausted from the hype of the limited edition KITH collaboration that predated it by just a few months. Today, we’ll be running through the controversy and sentimentality of the current TAG Heuer Formula 1 collection, making a pit stop in the '80s to trace the evolution of the line before racing into the quick and dirty of what you need to know about it as it stands.  TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph Context Our story begins with the ultimate crisis point for the watch industry – the quartz crisis. Heuer was becoming a casualty in the advent of quartz movements, and, in spite of its racing history, the brand was struggling to keep up the pace with Japanese brands like Seiko and Citizen that were pumping out cheaply priced quartz watche...

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