37,730 articles · 3,218 videos found · page 903 of 1365
Quill & Pad
Given GaryG's musings on these pages about the relative roles of rarity and complication in driving the value of a watch, he thinks it appropriate to dedicate this “Behind the Lens” entry to a piece that is both complicated and limited in production: Patek Philippe’s Reference 5950A. What’s so special about this watch? Well, first of all it’s a split-seconds chronograph. What else?
Quill & Pad
While 2019 brought subtle improvements for Rolex’s mainstay watch lines, a rocky 2020 brought uncertainty – first we weren’t sure Rolex would release anything at all given the pandemic, which was followed by widely talked about updates for four of the crown’s pillar collections. The new 2020 models saw subtle changes for improvement and perfection rather than anything revolutionary. And lots more color!
Deployant
The Zenith Chronomaster Revival A385 is a faithful reproduction of one of the original three stainless steel El Primero models from 1969, which featured Zenith's first gradient dial in a smoked brown tone and pronounced vignette effect that darkens towards the edges.
Quill & Pad
‘The Watch Annual’ 2020 by Justin Hast and James Allen is a 172-page book featuring 72 watches from a large variety of price points and categories submitted by 40 contributors from 19 different countries. It is a book for watch lovers by watch lovers, coming from the so-called #watchfam. And it gives back. What's not to like?
SJX Watches
While not the fanciest hotel in Basel – that title goes to Les Trois Rois across the river – the Swissôtel Le Plaza Basel was synonymous with the luxury watch brands that exhibited in Baselworld, the once dominant watch fair that was crippled by the departure of key exhibitors like Rolex and Patek Philippe, and then the pandemic. Located just across the street from Messe Basel, the sprawling convention centre where Baselworld once took place, the Swissôtel Basel was declared bankrupt by a Basel court in early last month. The hotel was heavily dependent on the city’s primary trade fairs, Art Basel and Baselworld. According to past news reports, over 60% of revenue at the Basel hotel came from trade fair bookings. And those trade fair bookings were exorbitant. So pricey that only the industry’s biggest movers and shakers could stay there – the hotel typically imposed a 10-day minimum stay for Baselworld leading to a bill of about 7000 Swiss francs per room – the Swissôtel Basel was a place where you could spot Thierry Stern, any one of the Hayeks who control Swatch Group, and the occasional Bugatti parked in front. According to industry insiders who had rooms booked for Baselworld 2020, the hotel did not offer refunds and instead moved the bookings to 2021. With clients sitting at the bottom of the ranking of creditors, it is unlikely that any of the fees will be repaid. Though managed by Accor, the French group that owns the Swissôtel brand, the Swissôtel...
SJX Watches
A pioneering American independent watchmaker established in 1992, RGM Watch Co. long ago developed an in-house expertise in traditional guilloche, resulting in a Breguet-inspired aesthetic that defined the brand in its early years. But RGM – named after founder Roland G. Murphy – has since diversified its offerings to include custom and bespoke watches. The latest example of a custom commission is Model 25 “Kauai”, a wristwatch with a dial bearing the map of the eponymous Hawaiian island. Initial thoughts RGM is especially good at dial making, and the Kauai is a good example of what the brand can do. While the Hawaiian island motif is personal to the client who ordered the watch, the quality of the execution is evidently high. The wave guilloche on the dial is engraved the old-fashioned way, with a hand-operated straight-line engine, while both plaques on the dial are solid gold that were cut by hand on a jig borer. And almost all of the dial is produced in house, save for the laser engraving of the map and the blue galvanic coating. The value of the watch is almost entirely in the one-off, hand-made dial – and it offers strong value in itself. The Kauai cost US$13,900, and similar custom watches are priced about the same – alternatives include enamel or marquetry dials – making them a good value proposition, especially since comparable watches from establishment Swiss brands would cost substantially more. Made in Pennsylvania Located in Mount Joy, a town in...
Time+Tide
We can all get caught up in the latest news about Nautilus or the next unobtainable Rolex. But for the majority of watch buyers, the most important timepieces are those that are accessibly priced and offer a ton of value. One brand that constantly delivers in this regard is Longines, a manufacture of longstanding heritage … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Longines Silver Arrow is the watch that Don Draper would wear to the race track appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Announced just a few months ago, the R500 Chronograph was unexpected for Sinn. Retro and funky at the same time, the R500 departs from the typical Sinn fare of no-nonsense, aviation-instrument watches. The R500 is straight out of the 1970s in style, with a hockey-puck case that has the pushers and crown at 12 o’clock, a retro configuration often known as “bullhead”. But like all Sinn watches, the R500 is a big, robust, and functional timepiece. The diametrically opposite blend of retro fun and tangible seriousness lies behind the R500’s appeal. Initial thoughts Though best known for their utilitarian, and almost military, style, Sinn sometimes creates novel designs, often for specific markets, like the many limited editions made for Japan. But such watches are mostly out of reach for the average buyer, if for nothing but geography and logistics. The R500, on the other hand, is a limited edition available at Sinn retailers globally, but is also different enough from the brand’s usual watches to make it interesting, especially with the retro “bullhead” layout matched with red and green accents on the power reserve scale. And the R500 is also unusual in being titanium, instead of steel, which is the metal most commonly used for Sinn watch cases. The handful of titanium watches that Sinn offers are also mostly dive watches. In fact, the only intrinsic downside of the R500 is the strap, which is a perfect fit in terms of design, but stiff on the wrist and also dif...
Time+Tide
The market for stainless-steel watches with blue dials is as hot as ever. And it makes sense for brands to produce watches that meet this demand. But how many more do we really need? The Grand Seiko SBGR321 was first announced towards the end of last year as a part of their 60th anniversary releases, … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: Is the Grand Seiko SBGR321 just another stainless-steel watch with a blue dial? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
Oris welcomes a new edition to their ocean conservation-themed line of limited-edition timepieces. The Whale Shark Limited Edition raises funding and awareness to save a very special and endangered shark.
Time+Tide
Now I wholeheartedly confess to being a die-hard Seiko fan with two of the dearest favourites in my watch box being my inky black delight – Grand Seiko SBGR053 – and my limited edition Baby Marinemaster. The latter one is pertinent to this article as one of the many “inspired by” 62MAS heritage reissues from … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: Did Seiko quietly kickstart the massive heritage trend 21 years ago? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Bulgari’s race to the flattest started in 2014, when it started unveiling one complication after another of record-setting slimness, culminating with the thinnest-ever automatic chronograph two years ago. While the original version is monochromatic and all titanium, the new Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Titanium is a twist on the theme. It’s fitted to an integrated rubber strap, in a first for the model that leaves it even more featherweight. Initial thoughts Admittedly – at least from a technical standpoint – the new Octo chronograph isn’t as exciting as it was when the model was first launched. This is just a facelift, but it’s a good one. Though similar to earlier versions of the Octo chronograph, the new model stands out for its palette, which arguably gives it more wrist presence. The original version has an integrated metal bracelet that flowed well in terms of visual continuity. But the strap is compelling for the opposite reason: it makes the extra-thin case stand out, increasing the visual contrast while making the watch look a bit fancier. The elimination of the bracelet will surely change its tangible feel on the wrist substantially. Because of the lightweight materials – a titanium case and strap in rubber – the watch will feel almost non-existent on wrist, taking the ultra-thin nature of the Octo one step forward. And like the time-only version of the Octo, the Chronograph is fairly priced in most iterations. This costs US$17,200, making i...
Quill & Pad
In this first episode of “Who Needs A Book Club!”, Karishma Karer, Sandra Lane, and Elizabeth Doerr discuss buying a first watch, basic at-home care of mechanical watches, how to be taken seriously as a female in watches, and the best watches to gift a man or a women. This is not just for women: men might learn something here too.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
This time, Kaz and Mike dig into Sea-Gull, both as a brand and a massive manufacturer of movements supplied all over the world Tune in, and let us know about your experience with Sea-Gull watches.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Join TBWS for the last show of the year and another round of our Best In Horology Awards show. This one is packed full of new and returning categories - many of which were suggested by the fine folks on the TBWS Patreon Slack channel.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
It’s Kazmas!!!! Tune in for one of the most historic TBWS episodes of all time and listen for the ultimate wrist check.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Now, Kaz has been unplugged for a bit, so you'll get a real-time reaction to some of the newest models from large and small brands.
Quill & Pad
It turns out that a year of quasi-isolation and abnormality can do things to a person, like make them write a poem about how they can’t think of what to write until they look at something new to spark inspiration. Luckily for Joshua Munchow, he happened to have such an item in his possession, at least temporarily: here he tests out the brand-new Zenith Chronomaster Sport fresh off the heels of its debut during the digital LVMH Watch Week 2021.
Time+Tide
Some champions refuse to wear their hard-earned Rolex through staunch working-class pride – like MMA fighter Michael Bisping in our story here. But British boxer Amir Khan is a man of style and hardly shy of wrist. And why not start the “taking care of it for the next generation” sentiment literally by getting your … ContinuedThe post Boxer Amir Khan’s son gets £30,000 Rolex Cosmograph Daytona as a first birthday present appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Originally as 60th anniversary limited editions in gold and then steel, the Grand Seiko Heritage Hi-Beat now joins the catalogue as a regular-production model – the Heritage Hi-Beat “White Birch” SLGH005. Notably, despite being a standard model, the SLGH005 has a fancy, patterned dial. As is typical of Grand Seiko, the dial is inspired by the local landscape – the striated motif on the dial takes inspiration from the forest of white birch, or shirakaba (白樺), that grows around the brand’s recently-opened workshop in Shizukuishi, located in the northernmost province of Iwate. Initial thoughts The SLGH005 is a handsome watch with a clean design that’s livened by the dial pattern. I’ve yet to see this in the metal, but Grand Seiko’s stamped dial patterns are usually attractive and always well done, and I expect this to be the same. In fact, this is arguably more appealing than the earlier limited-edition version, even though the watch is essentially identical. The monochromatic colour – save for the blued steel seconds hand – has a light, clean look, which is helped by the reduced text on the dial; the designers did away with “automatic” at six o’clock. Priced at US$9,100, the SLGH005 is fairly priced, costing a little less than the launch limited edition. It is, however, an example of the steadily rising price of the average Grand Seiko. They remain, by and large, reasonable buys, but no longer the strong value propositions in the past. Wood g...
Time+Tide
Want to know one of the highlights of 2020 for me? The Bamford London x Time+Tide GMT1 of course. It was the first collaboration watch that Time+Tide has ever produced, and it was a thrill to be a part of the team that saw it come to life. But what’s been even more exciting than … ContinuedThe post SPOTTED: The Bamford London x Time+Tide GMT1 sighted prowling in the wild appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
If you’re looking for a go anywhere, do anything type of watch, but don’t want to spend a fortune, John Robert Wristwatches might be what you’re looking for. Based in Melbourne, but produced in Switzerland, they recently released their debut collection aptly names the Archetype. This collection was born out of a desire to have … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: The John Robert Archetype is a dressy tool watch from Melbourne with an intriguing linen dial appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
After not having had a platinum model in the catalogue for some time, Panerai is returning to the lustrous and heavy metal with the Platinumtech Luminor Marina PAM01116. But the case of the PAM 1116 is not conventional, PT950 platinum alloy used in most wristwatches, instead it is an extra-hard alloy with better wear resistance. And like many of Panerai’s recent top-of-the-line models, the Platinumtech Luminor boasts a 70-year warranty – which is double emphasised by an oversized emblem on the sapphire back. Initial thoughts Panerai’s recent launches have leaned towards lightweight alloys or composites, which makes the Platinumtech Luminor unusual. The brand has made platinum watches in the distant past – in both Radiomir and Luminor format – and they were always impressively heavy watches with a heft that matched their price tag. The new Platinumtech Luminor is doubtlessly just as impressive in tangible feel, and it is also helped by the olive-green dial that’s unconventional but attractive. The watch is accompanied by an impressive 70-year warranty, but it feels more like a gimmick than something of practical value. Aside from the decades that stretch beyond the lifetime of most living buyers, the movement inside the watch is a straightforward calibre that doesn’t need a 70-year warranty (which is probably why it’s viable for Panerai to offer one in the first place). The Platinumtech Luminor is expensive for a contemporary Panerai, though not all tha...
SJX Watches
An American collector recently got in touch to share a recently completed Voutilainen Vingt-8 with a custom dial, a watch that’s unusual and interesting, while also having a thoroughly personal character. Christened the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge Watch, this unique Vingt-8 is a memento of the owner’s home state of Minnesota and its port city of Duluth. Spanning the canal that leads to the Port of Duluth, the Aerial Lift Bridge is a local landmark that can be raised to its full height of 135 feet in order to allow taller ships to pass underneath. Engraved entirely by hand, the dial depicts the Aerial Lift Bridge and a steamship sailing past. It forms the centrepiece of an elaborately decorated Vingt-8 that is also notably discreet in its serene blue and silver colours. Though the owner now lives in a different state, Minnesota holds a special place in his heart. “We are Minnesota residents and have spent a lot of time in Duluth as a family over the years,” explains the owner, “It is one of the most beautiful and scenic places in the country, right on Lake Superior, the largest fresh water lake in the world.” “Seeing the magnificence of these large ocean going ships pass through a very narrow canal under the bridge as they go into the Duluth harbour is truly a sight to behold,” continues the owner, “I have spent a lot of time photographing ships as they pass under the bridge as they come in and out of the harbour.” “I started thinking seriously about ...
Revolution
Patek Philippe releases three new models in their exquisite and feminine Twenty~4 line of timepieces just in time for Valentine’s Day.
SJX Watches
Named after the aluminium-bodied Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 cars of the 1950s, the Longines Silver Arrow was introduced in 1956. Typical of mid-20th century gentlemen’s watches, the Silver Arrow is a functional but elegant design with a discreet flourish in the form of fluted hour markers. Notably, the Silver Arrow was first reproduced about a decade ago, but with a date and simpler execution all around. Now it returns as a more sophisticated remake that is far closer to the vintage original, but with a latest generation ETA movement equipped with a silicon hairspring. Initial thoughts Like the brand’s other recent remakes, the Silver Arrow maintains the look and feel of the original, albeit enlarged as most reproductions are. The dial has the details of the original, as does the thin case and even the crown. Longines’ Heritage remakes are often modelled on military-issue or sports watches, resulting in a strongly utilitarian aesthetic. The Silver Arrow is different, offering another look while still preserving the strong value of Longines’ historical remakes. Priced at US$2,100, the Silver Arrow will be difficult to beat in terms of classical watches in its price segment. Silver Arrow redux The silver dial features unusual, fluted indices just like the vintage original. That, along with the sword hands and correct typography create a faithful replica of the 1956 Silver Arrow. As is standard practice, the remake is larger than the original, although the new Silver Arr...
Time+Tide
Editor’s Note: There is no official confirmation regarding the launch of a Patek Philippe 6711 Nautilus. Anything written below is pure speculation weighing up the potential veracity of the current rumours and is not representative of any correspondence with Patek Philippe. Watch forums are always rampant with watch mock-ups and predictions. The guessing game, in … ContinuedThe post Predictions: How feasible is the supposed Patek Philippe 6711 Nautilus “leak” appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Bridgerton has taken Netflix by storm to become a massive streaming success. The costume drama blends Victorian and modern elements, combining balls and parties with classical covers of Billie Ailish and Arianna Grande. On the back of some particularly racy sex scenes, actor Regé-Jean Page – who plays the reluctant Duke of Hastings – has … ContinuedThe post Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page exudes Big Duke Energy with a Cartier Santos Dumont on The Graham Norton Show appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Times are changing and for the better. For the ladies’ watch category, the marketplace has traditionally taken the course of shrink it, pink it and bling it. We too often used to see watches utilising quartz movements, not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with quartz, but the assumption seemed to be that women were not … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The new Patek Philippe Twenty-4 ladies collection will create serious watch envy in men appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Patents in watchmaking are often brushed over by the brand themselves, except when tallying them in marketing material. But they are important, and can be foundational to a brand, as George Daniels’ famed co-axial escapement is synonymous with Omega. But there is a great deal more in watchmaking that can be protected with a patent than a lubrication-free escapement. A large proportion of the parts that make up a watch – from case materials to time-display mechanisms – can be patented, and often are. That begs the question: what exactly can be patented? The common obstacle encountered by a would-be inventor is that patents are notoriously difficult to secure, especially if applied for without specialist help. Going from application to approval of a patent often requires several years, and approval is not a certainty. Gaining a patent hinges on three criteria: the invention in question must be new, non-obvious, and useful. Beyond the necessary knowledge of prior inventions – in order to prove the patent-pending idea is new – the incredibly specific wording required for patents can be daunting to an independent applicant, so it usually falls to a patent attorney to lead the application process. But patents can be lucrative for an inventor, especially for an innovation targeted at the consumer, which is why new patents are registered every day. The United States Patent and Trademark Office, for instance, received just under 670,000 patent applications in 2019, and gr...
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