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Compact and elegant watches can be timeless for a reason. It’s almost always a case of less is more, or offering something uniquely creative without overdoing it. Naturally, most people’s first thought will go to icons such as the Cartier Tank or the Patek Philippe Calatrava. Still, with the recent resurgence in the popularity of dress […]
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Early 16th-century watches were fragile by today’s standards, to say the least. These mechanical curiosities for the mega-wealthy could sustain catastrophic damage from a single drop or hard knock, and accuracy was off by hours per day. Shock resistance was on the back burner at the time as improving accuracy and reliability were paramount, along […]
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The humble Ford Escort spanned six generations from its debut in 1964 to its end in 2004, with over 4 million cars built during those years. The small family car was Britain’s best-selling car for many years and proved to be one of the industry’s most enduring machines, thanks in part to the efforts of […]
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Seiko’s Prospex collection is wide… Even by narrowing it down to dive watches only, there’s plenty to choose from, starting with the accessible Samurai and Turtle, followed by the robust 1968 Heritage Diver, up to the high-spec Marinemasters. There’s another one, however, that both carries great historical importance and visual appeal, the Prospex 1965 Heritage […]
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We’ve come to know and love Bell & Ross for its unbridled devotion to the world of aviation and its many flight instrument-inspired watches. The recently launched BR-X3 Micro-Rotor, however, which is a less complex spin-off from last year’s BR-X3 Micro-Rotor Tourbillon, goes in an entirely different direction. It’s not tied to flight instruments, nor […]
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Glashütte Original expands its SeaQ collection of dive watches with two limited editions created exclusively for the North American market. Named “Northern Tide”, the limited editions are based on the existing SeaQ and SeaQ Panorama Date, introducing an all-new turquoise dégradé dial. Aside from the new colourway, both models retain the design, movements and specifications […]
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Founded in Switzerland in 1918 by George Schaeren, Mido is currently positioned as an entry-to-mid-level Swatch Group brand, prized for offering exceptional value and robust build quality. Placing more emphasis on bolder design, Mido has sparked interest for its accomplished remakes of golden oldies like the Multifort TV Big Date and the Decompression Timer and […]
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Few now remember the Swiss watchmaking name Sicura. Founded in Grenchen in 1939, the brand enjoyed success during the 1960s and 1970s under Ernest Schneider, producing affordable, unconventional watches that combined unusual functions with bold styling. Sicura experimented with everything from compressor-style divers and jump-hour displays to LED watches, solar-powered and multi-function tool watches, all […]
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Founded in 2017 by photographer Ming Thein and headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Ming is a design-driven independent watch brand distinguished by a contemporary aesthetic in which minimalism, luminescence and layered construction all play defining roles. For the latest release, Ming strays from its usual course, turning to traditional craftsmanship for the dial of the new […]
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Three years after the launch of the original 42mm Carrera Chronograph x Team Ikuzawa by Bamford, TAG Heuer renews its collaboration with a new limited edition, this time based on the brand’s modern 39mm Carrera Glassbox Chronograph and inspired by Team Ikuzawa’s iconic Roadmaster stopwatches of the 1970s and 1980s. The story of Team Ikuzawa […]
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Dominique Renaud hardly needs an introduction. Co-founder of Renaud & Papi, later to become Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi (APRP), he helped shape modern haute horlogerie by developing complications for Audemars Piguet, Richard Mille, A. Lange & Söhne and many others. His workshop also became a breeding ground for independent watchmaking, with Robert Greubel, Stephen […]
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In the field of independent watch brands, Laine Watches holds a special place, with its focus on finishing, movement decoration (not manufacturing), and highly respectable guillochage skills. Founded ten years ago by Finnish watchmaker Torsti Laine and based in the Canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, the small atelier creates classical time-only watches (even though a chronograph […]
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Earlier this year, Minerva stepped out from the shadow of Montblanc to reclaim its independent, stand-alone branding and celebrated the occasion by releasing two limited editions of the Unveiled Secret. Presented in compact 39mm cases with wine-red accents and a new, inverted in-house monopusher chronograph calibre exposed in all its magnificence on the dial, rest […]
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2026 marks the 100th anniversary of the Oyster Perpetual, the game-changing waterproof watch that altered the course of Rolex’s history. Put to the test by British swimmer Mercedes Gleitze as she swam across the English Channel with a gold Oyster on her wrist in 1927, the hermetic Oyster case was further upgraded with a self-winding […]
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Astronomical watches are part of Ulysse Nardin‘s identity, and Dr Ludwig Oechslin, like no other, shaped this chapter of the manufacture’s history. Shortly after entrepreneur Rolf Schnyder acquired the brand in 1983, he challenged the Swiss astronomer, mathematician and watchmaker to create a wristwatch capable of displaying the movements of celestial bodies. The result was […]
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The Citizen Tsuyosa is one of the strongest contenders in the affordable automatic sports watch segment. Launched in 2022, the collection has steadily expanded with new sizes, colours and specifications, most recently gaining a more adventurous personality with the 100m water-resistant Tsuyosa Shore, equipped with a rotating bezel. Now, Citizen combines the sporty design of […]
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Recent financial statements by industry institutions and groups have been on the positive side, with what seems to be a comeback of growth, after a couple of rather difficult years for the watch industry. Indeed, Richemont reported sales up by 20% for its first quarter of 2026, the Swatch Group indicated sales up 8.5% in […]
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There’s a new indie watch brand on the scene. It seems that we’re telling this story every week. Sometimes, or should I say rather often, these new ventures are coming with pretty fascinating inaugural watches. So is the case of Atelier Pieters, a company founded by couple Maarten and Jessica Pieters. Two watchmakers, one workshop, […]
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Parmigiani Fleurier marks its thirty years of independent watchmaking with a platinum trilogy of mechanically sophisticated models that offer on-demand complications. Reflecting the collection’s spirit of understated elegance, the complications appear almost magically when required and then disappear to restore the dial’s visual purity. Crafted from head to toe in luxurious 950 platinum, the trilogy […]
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For several years, Union Glashütte has celebrated its partnership with the Sachsen Classic historic rally through annual limited editions based on the retro-styled Noramis Chronograph. For the 23rd edition of the Sachsen Classic, taking place on 14 and 15 August 2026, the German manufacture shifts the spotlight to the Averin Chronograph, whose angular, assertive square […]
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Think back to a time without electricity or street lights, and you immediately understand the concept of a minute repeater, or any other kind of chiming watch for that matter. Breaking the silence of the dead of night must have been an almost magical experience back then. Even today, a carefully crafted system of hammers […]
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The Prague Astronomical Clock in the Czech Republic is the oldest mechanical tracker of celestial events that remains operational today. Introduced in 1410, it displays the relative positions of the sun, moon and zodiac, although Richard of Wallingford’s clock from 1330 was able to track the sun throughout the year to predict moon phases and […]
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Every summer, the classic car world flocks to Monterey, California, for what is known as the Monterey Car Week. Over ten days, attendees will have the chance to spend time among the rarest and most special cars ever created, with races, rallies, car shows and the prestigious Pebble Beach Concourse d’Elegance all taking place during […]
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Leica’s relationship with mechanical watches is still relatively young (even though some watches have existed during the 1990s), yet it has a solid foundation, as we explained in our article here, and in an interview with Dr Andreas Kaufmann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Leica Camera AG, who has been a key player in […]
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In 2024, German brand Hanhart went beyond its traditional pilot’s watches with the Aquasphere, a dive watch that combined robust specifications with the brand’s distinctive design. The new Aquasphere Matte Black, fundamentally unchanged, brings a darker, more restrained execution that emphasises functionality over flair. It swaps the original blue colourway with a black and white […]
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Lebois & Co, an old name revived by Tom van Wijlick, a Dutch native, has steadily built a collection of classically styled, vintage-character watches. Last year’s Heritage Small Seconds introduced a compact dress watch series inspired by the brand’s mid-century archives. Now, two new references are launching the Heritage Atelier collection: the Small Seconds Clous […]
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Hanhart has built its reputation on chronographs and instrument watches, with bold pilot-inspired designs synonymous with the German brand. The Square by Square is a different story. Conceived by Munich-based designer Marcus Wiedemann of Studio Supercreative, with whom the brand collaborated on the CXD NFT Watch, and made for the 2025 Dubai Watch Week x […]
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Founded in 2010 by Belgian industrial designer Benoît Mintiens, Ressence questioned, from the start, something fundamental: how we read time. Its patented Ressence Orbital Convex System (ROCS), with its constantly rotating discs replacing conventional hands, has become one of the most recognisable displays in modern independent horology. Until recently, however, Ressence relied on a seriously […]
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H. Moser & Cie. released its first minute repeater coupled with a tourbillon in 2019, exposing both complications on the dial. After several iterations, Moser unveiled an impressive, skeletonised take on the double-complication combo earlier this year. Since skeletonisation is often considered a complication in its own right, the triple-complication Endeavour Minute Repeater Cylindrical Tourbillon […]
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If you have been following our Orient coverage lately, you will have noticed things have been anything but quiet. Earlier this year, the brand showcased its first no-date Bambino, and then Orient Star also presented the meteorite M34 F8 Date, followed shortly by the bold M34 F8 Skeleton. But let’s come back to Orient, the […]
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