Hodinkee
In-Depth: The Zenith Chronomaster Sport, With The El Primero Caliber 3600
The new Chronomaster Sport Chronograph brings a slew of technical updates to the El Primero caliber.
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Zenith's 1969 column-wheel automatic chronograph caliber at 36,000 vph, saved from quartz-era destruction by Charles Vermot in 1975 and supplied to the Rolex Daytona ref. 16520 (1988-2000).
Chronograph dial with high-contrast sub-counters. Vintage Daytona, Speedmaster CK 2998, Heuer Carrera; modern 116500LN, Tudor Chrono.
Chronograph scale converting flash-to-sound time into distance. WWI artillery-spotting origin; vintage Longines / Lemania / Heuer.
Chronograph scale reading heart rate in BPM after counting 15 or 30 pulse beats. The 1920s-60s doctor\'s watch standard.
Hodinkee
The new Chronomaster Sport Chronograph brings a slew of technical updates to the El Primero caliber.
Time+Tide
This Peren chronograph is also the brand's first watch without an overt Transylvanian source of inspiration - but that's no bad thing.The post The Peren One brings mechaquartz practicality to a clean bi‑compax design appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
The Hollywood star was spotted wearing TAG Heuer's quirky, complicated chronograph with a twist.The post Miles Teller hosts SNL and promotes new film “Eternity” wearing a TAG Heuer x Porsche Chronosprint appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
The Studio Underd0g × Massena Lab 03Series Champagne & Caviar has just been uncorked, and it’s as spirited as its name suggests. This limited-edition monopusher chronograph merges Studio Underd0g’s tongue-in-cheek British design with William Massena’s connoisseur’s eye. The resulting watch celebrates excess. The dial blends the soft glow of champagne with the dark sheen of […] Visit Introducing: The Studio Underd0g × Massena Lab 03Series Champagne & Caviar to read the full article.
Time+Tide
Evoking opulence, the "big-eye" monopusher chronograph features distinctive dial tones and textures, in true Studio Underd0g style.The post Studio Underd0g and Massena LAB serve up a luxury pairing with the Champagne & Caviar 03SERIES appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Many superlatives have been ascribed to what might be the most valuable watch this fall auction season – the Patek Philippe ref. 1518 in stainless steel. Headlining Phillips’ upcoming auction in Geneva, the steel ref. 1518 is paradoxically extraordinary and ordinary all at once. As the first serially-produced perpetual calendar-chronograph wristwatch, the ref. 1518 is already a landmark Patek Philippe wristwatch, one that spawned a lineage that includes the refs. 2499, 3970, and 5970. And then there’s the ref. 1518 in steel – only four are known. The steel ref. 1518 has rarity, historical importance, and an eight-figure value; but on the wrist, this “holy grail” is compact, lightweight, and monochromatic, discreetly low-key. At a diminutive 35 mm in diameter, the ref. 1518 is small by today’s standards. The watch doesn’t look like much on the wrist from across a room; in fact, it isn’t immediately obvious to a layperson (or even a casual watch enthusiast) that the watch is worth more than most houses and vintage Ferraris. Yet the ref. 1518 in steel is appealing for many intellectual reasons: extreme rarity, historical lineage of the perpetual calendar chronograph, even sheer value. This is a trophy in many senses. Historically, the ref. 1518 was important even in its time. It was once Patek Philippe’s most complicated regular production wristwatch, and the steel ref. 1518 was likely the most expensive steel Patek Philippe when it was in the catalogue. ...
SJX Watches
Philips’ upcoming sale in Geneva from November 8-9 includes two timepieces owned by John Pierpont Morgan Jr., widely known as Jack Morgan. Heir to a financial empire, Morgan was the first chairman of what is now JPMorganChase, and more pertinently, inherited the sensibilities of his father, J. Pierpont Morgan Sr., in collecting and gifting. Morgan Sr. was a collector on a grand scale, and across categories. The catalogues of his collections spanned volumes – two books for Chinese porcelain, four for miniatures, and a single volume for his watches and clocks, albeit a 350-page tome that weighed almost 6 kg in its original edition. The penchant for collecting was passed on to Jack Morgan, who evidently had sharp tastes in watches and clocks. The two timepieces going on the block at Phillips illustrate that. One is the first-ever Cartier mystery clock, a Model A sold to Morgan in 1913. And the other is one example of the “Morgan caliper”, a series of minute repeating, split-second chronograph, tourbillon pocket watches made for J.P. Morgan & Co., which were gifted by Morgan Sr. and Jack Morgan to the firm’s partners and important associates. Titans of finance In 1913, Louisiana senator Arsène Pujo formed the Pujo Committee to investigate the growing concentration of financial power in the United States. The committee found that an inner circle of partners at J.P. Morgan & Co. and its two largest proxies held 341 directorship positions across the boards of 34 majo...
Time+Tide
French microbrands Neotype has brought two panda dials to the fore, for its likeable LM02 Type C chronograph.The post Neotype jazzes up its “ultimate multipurpose tool watch”, the LM02 Type C, with panda dials appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
Nomos has had an incredibly interesting trajectory among watch enthusiasts over the past decade or so. If you got into the hobby at a certain time, Nomos was almost certainly one of the first “forum brands” that you’d be introduced to as a level up from some of the core enthusiast watches that you might be able to scrounge for in your local department store or pick up on Amazon. Nomos (and Sinn, and a handful of other brands) required a bit more expense, and a bit more effort to get your arms around, but once you did, you really felt like you were part of the club (no pun intended). And then things kind of settled. The enthusiasts who cut their teeth on Nomos did what enthusiasts always do, and discovered other cool things as the watch community migrated from the antiquated forums to Facebook and Instagram. Nomos never stopped releasing good watches, but there was a sliver of time when it felt like they were improving rapidly and we’d have exciting new releases from them on a regular basis. It didn’t really turn out that way – they’ve largely iterated on core designs, offering new sizes (usually bigger) and sportier specs (bracelets, and better water resistance). The hypothetical Nomos chronograph that I can recall so many anonymous forum users speculating about never materialized, and it seems like the brand has become very comfortable simply being Nomos and making Nomos watches. Things changed a bit this year at Watches & Wonders with the release of the...
Worn & Wound
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...
Worn & Wound
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...
Fratello
Hermès surprised us a couple of years ago when the French fashion house launched a chronograph among its colorful time-and-date H08 editions. Stealth-launching products is not new for Hermès. The low-key tactic allows clients to discover new pieces for themselves without a deluge of flashy hype campaigns. The gentle marketing ripple in the brand’s horology […] Visit Introducing: The Hermès H08 Chronographe In Naples Yellow to read the full article.
SJX Watches
The cal. 4132 inside the Rolex Daytona “Le Mans” is a rare evolution of one of the most revered chronograph movements in modern watchmaking. Based on the long-running cal. 4130 platform, the new movement was developed specifically for the Daytona “Le Mans” unveiled in 2023 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the famed endurance race. While visually similar to the cal. 4131 found in current-production Daytonas, the cal. 4132 incorporates a clever mechanical upgrade that allows it to record up to 24 hours of elapsed time. Given the relatively simple upgrade from a 12-hour to 24-hour counter, the cal. 4132 might seem like a weekend project for a brand with the engineering might of Rolex, but the reality is more nuanced. To achieve this, Rolex engineered a compact differential gear set that doubles the timing capacity without altering the core movement architecture, leaving the movement dimensions unchanged. As with many Rolex innovations, the cal. 4132 reflects the brand’s quiet obsession with functional longevity and serviceability. The latest Daytona movements reveal a degree of decorative finishing unseen in past generations of Rolex movements An already quirky base For over two decades, the Rolex cal. 4130 stood as the benchmark for industrial chronograph movements. Launched in 2000, the cal. 4130 was the first in-house chronograph movement developed by Rolex. The movement was lauded for its compact architecture, low component count, and ease of service – a...
Monochrome
Chronographs come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colours, so it’s hard to pinpoint the very best. What helps is the possibility to sub-categorise them, thanks to the fact that there are so many different ones. One class of chronographs that always seems to gather plenty of attention is the two-register, or bicompax chronograph. […]
There are few things that stir the senses like the roar of a WWII warbird overhead. For enthusiasts of mechanical things-whether engines or movements-an airshow is a sensory overload: the glint of polished aluminum in the sun, the bone-rattling sound of propellers, and the raw thrill of machines built for speed, precision, attack, and evading. This year is the 85th anniversary of the venerable P-51 Mustang. So with AVI-8’s all-new Hitchcock Automatic and Kindelberger Chronograph Limited Editions in tow, both inspired by this iconic plane, we decided to head out to our very first airshow. Here’s what we learned-and what you should know-before you go wheels-up into the world of aviation’s biggest stage featuring this exact WWII fighter. The post [VIDEO] Time Flies: AVI-8’s All-New P-51 Mustang-Inspired Limited Editions Take Us to Our First Airshow appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Monochrome
Presented in late 2024, the Independence Skeleton Chrono 42mm marked a significant milestone for Swiss brand Norqain, particularly with its new, exclusive 8k flyback chronograph calibre developed in partnership with AMT Manufacture. The young, independent, family-owned watch brand now introduces a new version of the model in bold orange and a stainless steel case. The […]
Fratello
Today, we take a look at a new chronograph, the Aera C-1 Chrono. The brand, for those previously unaware, hails from Britain and was founded in 2018. Since the beginning, the small team has focused on designing minimalist, robust timepieces. So far, the company has produced a diver, a series of field watches, and a […] Visit Introducing: The Aera C-1 Chrono to read the full article.
Teddy Baldassarre
The Zenith Chronomaster Sport debuted back in 2021 and has evolved into one of the brand’s most compelling contemporary chronographs (and that’s saying a lot for Zenith). There was a lot of initial chatter about some similarities to the Rolex Daytona because the collection debuted with a panda and reverse panda dial model with ceramic bezel and, while the comparisons are certainly valid, it does warrant a reminder that the Daytona indeed used to be El Primero-powered. Earlier in 2025, Zenith went all out on the blue theme at this year’s Watches & Wonders in celebration of its 160th anniversary. The star of the show may have been the return of the Caliber 135 in the G.F.J. (see more on that one right here), but the supporting releases didn’t hold back either, boasting bright blue ceramic cases and bracelets. Together, this trio of watches comprise the Zenith 160th anniversary collection, touching on each of the cornerstones of the brand’s modern architecture. The watch I am going to focus on here is the Zenith Chronomaster Sport rendered nearly in its entirety in blue ceramic, showcasing a very different side of the brand’s most popular modern chronograph. Zenith Chronomaster Sport Context The Chronomaster collection has been around since 1994, building on the rather illustrious history of precision timing (outlined in more detail right here) that Zenith is known for. In 2021, Zenith found its modern stride with the release of the Chronomaster Sport with a blac...
SJX Watches
Petermann Bédat has just unveiled its third model, the Reference 1825, which arrives two years after the Reference 2941 Split-Seconds Chronograph. The brand’s simplest watch to date, the 1825 is three hands but far from basic. In fact, the 1825 illustrates the cliche that less is more. Founded by duo Gaël Petermann and Florian Bédat, the brand departs from current fashion with the 1825, which has a restrained aesthetic front and back, though the movement incorporates enough subtle flourishes to make it distinctive and distinguished. The proliferation of open-dial time-only watches with overwrought finishing makes the quiet presence of the 1825 stand out. The cal. 233 of the 1825 Initial thoughts The recent enthusiasm for independent watchmaking has tended to focus on time-only watches of a specific sort, with open dials, exposed movements, and lots of finishing techniques. Naturally, independent watchmakers and brands have delivered in response to that demand. In comparison, the 1825 is old school in style and form, almost plain in fact, but I like it precisely because of that. The 1825 is appealing on two levels. One is tangible – it is an appealing watch on the wrist and clearly executed to a high level. The other is philosophical – I applaud Petermann Bédat for not going with current fads. The 1825 isn’t imaginative or radical, it is simply a simple watch of high quality that feels like it was conceived and executed by sincere, competent watchmakers. All ele...
SJX Watches
A hit when it was launched a dozen years ago – time does fly – the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon was the first-ever Speedmaster in ceramic. Now Omega has refined and reworked the concept – the case is now almost 1 mm thinner – while retaining the all-ceramic construction and distinctive aesthetic. The new Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon (DSOTM) makes its debut in four variants. The first two stick closely to the original, right down to the same automatic cal. 9900 movement, but in a slimmer format. More notable is the manual-wind version containing the cal. 9908, the first DSOTM offering with this movement, making it even thinner. And it has no date to boot. Rounding out the quartet is the Speedmaster Grey Side of the Moon (GSOTM) that is also manual-wind but powered by the historically-based, Moonwatch-famous cal. 3861. This adopts the lunar-textured surface, front and back, first seen on the Apollo 8 edition. The first manual-wind DSOTM that has a black-and-red livery Initial thoughts Contemporary collectors are spoiled for choice when it comes to the Speedmaster, which is available in seemingly endless configurations. While that’s arguably a criticism, it demonstrates Omega’s industrial prowess, which enables the brand to deliver large volumes of watches that are objectively high quality and equipped with some of the industry’s best chronograph movements, without keeping customers waiting. Regardless of the shade of grey or black, the watches are ins...
Monochrome
Angelus and Massena LAB return with a second collaboration that once again leans hard into classic mid-century chronograph codes. After the first collaborative project, the 2023 Chronographe Médical, which reintroduced the brand’s vintage tool-watch spirit and the La Fabrique collection, and the recent Chronographe Télémètre established a small-case, hand-wound monopusher as a core design, the […]
Monochrome
The Carrera Extreme Sport series by TAG Heuer returns for 2025 with three new references: a travel-ready Twin-Time chronograph that merges a true GMT into the openworked Extreme Sport template; a rose-gold chronograph that disrupts the collection’s tool aesthetic using precious metal; and a Tourbillon Extreme Sport F1 75th Anniversary limited edition that celebrates seven-and-a-half […]
SJX Watches
Zenith’s 160th anniversary celebration continues with the Defy Zero G, a sapphire-cased watch equipped with the brand’s latest generation, gimbal-like “Gravity Control” escapement module. Available in either clear or deep blue sapphire – both with a lapis lazuli dial – the 46 mm anniversary model is a literal showcase for the innovative cal. 8812 S, which features a gimballed escapement platform that keeps the balance wheel in a horizontal position at all times. Originally developed in 2008 and refined in 2018, the Zero G mechanism is a modern homage to Zenith’s legacy in competitive chronometry and marine navigation. Initial thoughts Today, the Zenith brand is synonymous with the El Primero chronograph movement, launched back in 1969. But outside of that, the manufacture has always been a major force in Swiss precision watchmaking. For decades the brand regularly took home the top prizes at chronometry trials from Neuchâtel and Teddington. Zenith already paid tribute to its past success in competitive chronometry with the G.F.J. cal. 135, which also features a lapis lazuli dial, but it’s reassuring to see the brand made time to bring out one of its more recent developments for its anniversary year. While the days of chronometry trials are long past, Zenith has still managed to make a name for itself when it comes to the accuracy of wrist-worn timepieces - at least theoretically. Back in 2008 the brand unveiled a curious mechanism, with the escapement fu...
Time+Tide
The 2025 Carrera Extreme Sport collection sees TAG Heuer introduce chronograph, GMT, and tourbillon novelties.The post TAG Heuer tributes 75 years of Formula 1 with a triple Carrera Extreme threat appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Monochrome
Omega turns its head once again to the Dark Side… of the Moon, of course. A now-classic member of the Speedmaster collection, the Dark Side of the Moon lineup, also known as the DSOTM, has been around for over 10 years now, always with a cool, monochromatic take on the brand’s emblematic space chronograph, made […]
Fratello
Longines has a long history when it comes to high-frequency movements. Way back in 1910, the company received the first patent for a pocket chronograph featuring such a high-beat movement and capable of measuring 1/10th of a second. In 1959, Longines presented its first wristwatch with a high-frequency movement that only deviated about 1/10th of […] Visit Hands-On With The New Longines Ultra-Chron Classic - Honoring The Original High-Beat Ultra-Chron From 1967 to read the full article.
Fratello
When many collectors think of the Speedmaster, they immediately imagine the classic Moonwatch with its Hesalite crystal, 42mm asymmetrical case, and hand-wound chronograph movement. But for those willing to cast their net wider, the Speedmaster family offers a surprising variety of curves, quirks, and historical detours. So, following the wonderful response to our original article […] Visit Five Further Non-Classic Omega Speedmasters Worthy Of Any Collection to read the full article.
Teddy Baldassarre
If you're relatively new to the watch collecting game and are ready to graduate to your first Omega watch, you're probably pondering a question that has confronted many others before you: Speedmaster or Seamaster? Spaceworthy historical chronograph or tough but stylish diver? Buzz Aldrin or Jacques Cousteau? The official watch of NASA or the official watch of James Bond? Both of these megapopular Omega watches have rich, amazing stories to tell and both today offer a plethora of options in terms of colorways, materials, and even added complications - all while still remaining true to their heritage. In this feature, we compare and contrast the Omega Speedmaster vs Seamaster in the pursuit of helping prospective buyers make a (hopefully) more informed decision on their first - or next - Omega watch. Omega Speedmaster vs Seamaster: Far From Their Roots In terms of seniority as a product family, the Omega Seamaster has almost a decade on its chronograph sibling. The Seamaster as we know it today is one of the most iconic of dive watches, but in 1948, when Omega introduced the first model by that name, the “dive watch” as we know it in the modern sense didn’t really exist. The original Omega Seamaster was positioned in contemporary advertisements as a watch for “town, sea, and country” - a dress watch for gentlemen that was distinguished from its many competitors by its adoption of a new waterproofing system that Omega had developed for the watches it produ...
Worn & Wound
Brew founder Jonathan Ferrer has been making “coffee timers” for years now. It’s a well established if not definitional part of his watch brand. Inspired by coffee culture, most Brew watches over the years have some mechanism to highlight the passing of 30 seconds, considered by most to be the ideal amount of time needed to pull the perfect espresso shot. I think just about everyone, including Jonathan, would agree that this timing mechanism works well as a brand signature, but that, for the most part, owners of Brew watches purchase them without thinking that they will definitely use it for coffee timing. It’s like buying a chronograph with a tachymeter scale – it’s there, you may even know exactly how to use it, but your enjoyment of the watch doesn’t derive from actively timing laps. That said, there are certainly some collectors, and perhaps professional baristas, who find real practicality in these coffee timers. But you’ll sometimes hear a common refrain: the analog means of timing a 30 second interval might not be the most user friendly in a pinch. Enter, the Metric Digital Blend, one of the most surprising watches we’ve seen this year. Housed in a familiar stainless steel Metric case, the Digital Blend is Brew’s first ana-digi watch, a throwback to the 1980s, and perhaps a truly useful espresso timer. Taking advantage of an LED display, the Digital Blend’s 30 second timer can be activated at the push of a button, with a helpful visual aid ...
Worn & Wound
Late last month, ahead of Geneva Watch Days, Ming debuted the 57.04. It was a big moment for the brand, being not only a very cool release (who doesn’t love a destro monopusher chronograph), but also the first launch in a new generation of Ming watches, complete with a radically new design language. Still, just because the new is here doesn’t mean we’re quite done with the old, and as if to remind us of that, Ming is today announcing a new, slightly more familiar watch: the MING 37.05 Lunatic. This new watch is somewhat of a farewell from Ming. It’s the third iteration of the 37.05, and the brand promises that it will be the final version of the watch, which was first introduced back in November of 2021 and kicked off the 37-series of watches. Like the first two executions of the 37.05, the MING 37.05 Lunatic is a Moonphase and date watch housed in a stainless steel case. Like its predecessors, the watch measures 38mm across and 11.9mm thick - although 3mm of that height comes from the domed sapphire crystals found on both the front and back of the watch - and is powered by a Sellita for MING 288.M1, a hand-wound time, Moonphase, and date movement based on the Sellita SW288.1. While I haven’t had the good fortune to see the 37.05 Lunatic in person just yet, I have been lucky enough to encounter its older brothers, and - assuming no radical change unaccounted for by dimensions or specs - can attest that the 37.05 wears as one would expect from a Ming, part...
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