Teddy Baldassarre · Page 43

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Serica Oct 4, 2024

Owner's Review: The Serica 5303-3 COSC Diving Chronometer Is Parisian

Picture the scene: a hectic work week ends with a quick bite at your favorite Italian trattoria, then you hustle a few blocks afterwards to a dimly lit West Village jazz club to catch a blazing first set from the house band. Glancing down at your wrist, you see you have just enough time to cab it to the airport for the redeye to Paris for a well-deserved long weekend, beachfront on the Côte d'Azur. But the watch on your wrist isn’t a vintage Rolex GMT-Master or Omega Seamaster 300, although either would be a fine choice to segue from the office to the French Riviera without missing a beat. No, your timepiece is from Serica, a microbrand based in France with enough Continental cool and midcentury charm to appear as if it just popped out of a time capsule from 1962. If ever a modern sports watch evoked the Mad Men era, this is it. Even though it’s only been in existence since 2019, Serica doesn't feel like a typical microbrand. In fact, it has the aura of an established horological icon, one with its own storied history and visual language. And if it’s not readily apparent, I’m positively obsessed with the entire Serica aesthetic.  Serica's French-designed, Swiss-made creations blend the refinement of classic Parisian fashion with the urbane cool of a European matinee idol. The company’s debut release was the W.W.W field watch, followed by the 5303 diver that made its bow in 2021, in both black and white-dialed variants. A new colorway was offered the followin...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Frederique Constant Sep 27, 2024

Frederique Constant Classic Date & Moonphase Review

Frederique Constant takes a consistent, evolutionary approach to the design language used in its Classic collection. Sometimes those evolutionary leaps are larger than others. This is certainly the case with two additions to the collection released earlier this year: the Manufacture Classic Date, and Classic Moonphase Date, which have undergone a series of both small and large changes that represent a marked maturity for the brand. The new watches will find themselves squarely in front of a new audience as a result, and bring a welcome set of options in the often neglected formal genre at a sub-$5,000 price point. In hand and on wrist, these watches bring a surprising level of sophistication thanks to a keen attention to detail. If this isn’t a brand you’ve taken seriously in the past, it might be time for a second look.  In an era dominated by sports watches and so-called GADA watches, it’s easy to forget just how essential a dedicated clean, classical, formal watch can be. They are easy watches to overlook, as their beauty lies in the small details rather than big, eye -catching flourishes, but with a little patience, these watches can be just as compelling as anything else out there. If the brand respects the process, that is. With minimal complications, scales, and bezels to work with, the design and execution of the few details that are present are paramount to evoking the necessary emotions. There is nothing to hide behind here. The odd shape or finish of an h...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Sep 26, 2024

MIL-SPEC Watch Design: How Military Needs Shaped the Modern Wristwatch

Nearly everything we regard as a modern luxury was once a military necessity. Okay, maybe that’s too broad a statement. But when you consider the impact of inventions like the Internet (set up as a Department of Defense communications network in 1969) and GPS navigation (which still uses military satellites from the 1970s) - not to mention the rise of the Jeep from humble troop conveyance to luxury SUV; the ubiquity of microwave ovens (which emerged from NATO radar experiments); and the enduring civilian stylishness of accessories like cargo pants and aviator sunglasses - a substantial case can be made that goods made to military specifications, or MIL-SPEC, have made an inestimable impact on everyday life. Nowhere is this influence seen more strongly than in the world of wristwatches - not only those intentionally designed for a military or tactical look, but in many styles and genres throughout the industry.  From Waistcoat to War: Origin of the Wristwatch While it’s unlikely that a distinctly elegant timepiece, like a Patek Philippe Calatrava or a Vacheron Constantin Patrimony, will put you in the mind of battlefields and trenches, the truth is that wristwatches themselves are essentially a military invention - at least, the ones designed for men. Women had been wearing timepieces on pendants and bracelets for decades, since the middle of the 19th Century, but it was the utilitarian needs of soldiers in World War I that ushered them into general usage for ...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Blancpain Sep 26, 2024

Blancpain Air Command Flyback Chronograph Review

Back in the 1950s, Blancpain produced about a dozen chronographs for the United States Air Force. While these were never commercially produced, they are now highly sought-after collector’s pieces. In fact, I don’t think there has been one offered on the market since 2019 when one went at auction for about $150,000. It’s hard to guess what it would fetch in today’s market, but considering hammer prices for limited-run pieces with this kind of historical provenance, I would venture to say it would be quite a bit more. So, with such an attractive and storied Flyback Chronograph in its archives, it was no surprise 2019 also saw the release of Blancpain's limited-edition Air Command Flyback Chronograph reissue, followed by a titanium iteration done in blue/back in 2021. This was followed by the introduction of a 36mm case joining the existing 42.5mm model which-while less true to the 42mm of the original- made a splash with collectors who have found themselves fatigued with beefier cases. Now Blancpain has released a limited-edition pair of these titanium Air Command watches in an excellent camouflage green with options in both smaller and larger case size. While I was only able to get my hands on the smaller Blancpain Air Command in the 36.2mm wide case, I have actually tried on the previous blue model in the larger case and found myself preferring this more compact size. It’s been a while since I checked my wrist circumference (yes, watch nerds sound crazy to ...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Sep 24, 2024

Lorca Model 2 Chronograph Review

Sophomore releases are always tricky business. Just ask Depeche Mode, or Kiss. An innovative or evocative debut sound before the artist has really had a chance to flesh out their own voice can lead to unrealistic expectations from fans. Small, independent watch brands face a similar challenge, often expressing an exciting vision for a single watch without a firm framework to expand upon. This isn’t always the case, however, and just like Pearl Jam or The Strokes, there are some emerging watch brands with freshman success that manage an equally compelling follow-up vision. This is exactly what New York-based Lorca, founded by Swiss-Canadian Jesse Marchant, is looking to do with its new Model 2 Chronograph, hot on the heels of their popular initial release, the Model 1 GMT. The visionary behind the brand, Jesse Marchant, is also a recording artist, and is no stranger to the process. The Model 1 GMT was a revelation when it was first revealed in early 2023. The design was subtle, and the execution well considered. All the little details worked, and it was a watch that managed to find its own style and identity in a sea of watches that had neither. The Model 1 didn’t break any new ground mechanically, but it did present a unique vision that touched on multiple genre points in a cohesive manner. It also featured a somewhat polarizing bezel that would ultimately add to the depth of its character. Beyond that, the bracelet, case, and overall fit and finish of the watch unders...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

A. Lange & Sohne Sep 18, 2024

Shining a Light on the A. Lange & Söhne Lumen Collection

When A. Lange & Söhne makes a contribution to watchmaking, whether in the areas of technology, design, materials, or any combination of these or other elements, it tends to go above and beyond the call - to challenge itself to reach a little higher, to put its own distinctly Saxon spin on things. This philosophy is evident particularly in the brand’s approach to complications: not just a moon-phase, but a moon-phase that’s accurate for more than a century. Not just a tourbillon, but the first tourbillon with a stop-seconds mechanism. Not just a split-seconds chronograph, but the first “triple split” chronograph to make comparative time measurements of not just seconds and minutes but multiple hours.  It was in that overachieving spirit, no doubt, that Lange developed its own signature illumination system for watch dials, rolling it out in 2010 on the second generation of the groundbreaking Zeitwerk model that it had introduced the year prior. The system, called “Lumen” and patented in 2013, illuminates not only dial elements like hands and indexes in the dark but also components normally hidden beneath the dial’s surface, like date disks and decorated plates, wheels and bridges. Lange’s technical solution to the challenge of charging all of the elements uniformly - luminous-treated surface details like hands, hour markers and subdials, as well as non-treated parts beneath the surface - was a dial made of sapphire and coated with a semi-transparent ...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Baltic Sep 17, 2024

Baltic Prismic Stone Dial Review

I’ve been covering and getting to know the team at Baltic watches for about half a decade now, and in those five years I have watched the brand – with founder Etienne Malec at the helm – transform itself from “microbrand,” playing in the vintage-inspired sandbox, to venerable player in the game, full stop. Where we once heard the Baltic name and immediately thought of watches like the Aquascaphe or Bicompax chronograph, the intervening years have seen launches like the MR-01 micro-rotor model, and the Prismic (foreshadowing) with sprinkles of appearances at Only Watch thrown in for good measure. Returning to the Prismic, that watch debuted earlier this year and represented a venture into fresh territory for a company mostly known for producing tool watches (the MR-01 being the lone prior exception). So when I walked into the Beau-Rivage Hotel in Geneva, Switzerland during Watches & Wonders this year to say hello to my pals at Baltic, I expected to see the entire current catalog and get my hands on those Prismics which I did not yet get a chance to see in person.  Little did I know that they would have three surprises on hand… in April… nearly six months before they were et to be released. I am, of course, talking about the three new limited additions to the Prismic lineup which launched this week. They take the same case construction as the existing models – 36mm wide by 9.2mm tall – but pack a real punch by way of the dials. Where the standard Prismic ...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Parmigiani Fleurier Sep 16, 2024

Hands-On: The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Automatic 36mm

When it comes down to my personal watch tastes, I would not self-identify as a quiet luxury enthusiast. Nor would I claim to be a minimalist, even if we’re talking about the luxury variety. More often, my preferences lean towards the quirky and colorful, and I have been known to be a lover of things many might consider “junky,” “kitsch,” or even “tacky” at times. No matter how long I’m in  “The Biz,” I don’t think I will ever be able to shake my enthusiasm for thrift-store gems or my habit of scouring eBay for hidden deals at strange hours of the night. However, if I were to have any hard-and-fast rule when it comes to Close Encounters With Watchkind, it would be always to leave ample room to be surprised. During my alone time with the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Automatic 36mm, I will admit that I found myself surprised - and might even be so bold as to say pleasantly surprised.  For context’s sake, Parmigiani Fleurier is a relatively young brand in the world of watches. Founded in 1996, Parmigiani Fleurier is the brainchild of Michel Parmigiani – a Swiss-born watch restorer and architecture enthusiast who cut his horological teeth during the peak of the quartz crisis, in which he turned his focus to preserving and reviving antique pieces at his own workshop, Mesure et Art du Temps. Despite the maison’s intimate knowledge of horological history, in the current revival-heavy landscape of modern watchmaking, a quick look at Parmigiani F...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Omega Sep 12, 2024

Omega Seamaster: The Comprehensive Guide

The Omega Seamaster is not only a modern icon among divers’ watches; it’s also the cornerstone of one of the Swiss brand’s most prominent and versatile collections: today’s connoisseur can choose between robust, sporty utility (the Seamaster Diver 300M), nautical-inspired elegance (the Aqua Terra), and understated vintage flair (the Heritage models like the Seamaster 1948), as well as an array of colorways and case materials ranging from steel to titanium to high-tech ceramics and proprietary gold alloys. Nowadays, it can be difficult to believe that such a diverse collection with such a dominant presence traces its roots back to just two groundbreaking models: a post-war gents’ watch from 1948 and its descendant, built for recreational divers, in 1957. MILITARY STYLE Introduced in 1948, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the firm that became Omega, the Seamaster was perhaps always destined to become a mainstay of the Omega portfolio. The watch, however, bore little resemblance to the one we’re familiar with today, the model worn on the screen by James Bond. The “dive watch,” as we know it in the modern sense, didn’t really exist, and the original Seamaster was instead 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 wartime watches it produced for Britis...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Sep 4, 2024

Alarm Watches: A Complete Guide to the Most Underappreciated Watch Com

If we're ranking watch styles by everyday practicality, it's hard to beat the alarm watch. Most of us are regularly needing reminders of appointments, events, and other commitments, and to have the source of such audible alerts right on your wrist, rather than buried in a pocket or a handbag, would seem to be the height of practicality even in today's high-tech world. Around the middle of the 20th Century, many watchmakers agreed and began to embrace the style, but alarm watches never achieved anywhere near the widespread popularity of other complications like chronographs and GMTs. Nevertheless, the alarm watch has played a significant role in horological history, and a handful of important brands have not only been instrumental in its creation and development but continue to rely on it as a major pillar of their collections today. Here is the story of how the mechanical alarm watch came to be, how it became a signature style of certain watchmakers, and how it continues to evolve today despite its niche status in the industry.  Johannes Dürrstein, regarded as the inventor of the alarm watch  Watches with alarm functions go back farther into horological history than most probably realize. Johannes Dürrsstein, a watchmaker in Glashütte, Germany, invented the first mass-produced, alarm-equipped pocket watch caliber in 1900. Dürrstein’s invention used an extra-long mainspring that could fuel both the timekeeping and the independent alarm hand, which was activated by a...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Aug 23, 2024

Our Favorite G-Shock Watches Of All Time

We are back with another roundup by our editorial team, this time focused on G-Shock. Our objective this time was simple: to pick the G-Shock which got us into G-Shock in the first place. This doesn’t necessarily mean we are choosing a watch we own, or even have owned (though both of those scenarios are covered in these paragraphs) but rather the G-Shock that opened are eyes to a brand which – to put it mildly – has garnered a fanatical audience. So behold our entirely subjective list of what amounts to our favorite G-Shock watches. Let us know what models got you into G-Shock in the comments below! Mark Bernardo: MTGB1000 Unlike many of my peers who found themselves drawn into a career in watch journalism, my road to watch appreciation didn’t run through the G-Shock. I have worn a watch for as long as I can remember but I have always been, for the most part, an analog guy: Timexes, Fossils, the Victorinox Swiss Army pilot’s watch I bought myself with my first sizable tax refund as a gainfully employed young adult. When I started as a writer and editor specializing in timepieces, my initial take on the model was probably something like, “Casio G-Shock? Isn’t that what all those officers are wearing when they’re cuffing perps on Cops?” Having now outed myself as someone who watched Cops, I can now also admit that my narrow perception began to change drastically after a fateful press trip to Japan in the late 2000s - the first time, I was told back the...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Unimatic Aug 21, 2024

Unimatic Watches Guide

Like so many of the modern breed of start-up, independent watchmaking companies, Unimatic traces its origin to a pair of friends with a shared passion for timepieces and an entrepreneurial spirit. Giovanni Moro and Simone Nunziato met as industrial design students at Politecnico di Milano, Italy’s largest technical university. Moro’s father had been a watch collector, and after designing his first watch as a lark while working at a furniture company, Moro connected with Nunziato to collaborate on the watch that became the Modello Uno U1-A, which launched in 2015 and essentially became the foundation of the Unimatic brand, its name a portmanteau of the Latin “unico” for unique, and “matic,” for willing or able. The Unimatic U1-A from 2015 The U1-A, which quickly sold out, was a classical dive watch with a 40mm round case, a flat, black dial; simple shaped indexes; a black bezel insert with a 60-minute scale and a lumed dot; and a Seiko movement. Its follow-up, the U1-B, was even more streamlined, dropping the minute scale from the bezel. Both the original models set the parameters for every one that followed: each Unimatic watch is pressure-tested to 300 meters of water resistance and designed and cased in Italy; each watch is individually numbered, and the design ethos driving them all is a function-forward, tool-oriented aesthetic. Today, Unimatic watches comprise dozens of models and include not only the divers that brought the brand to the table but also fie...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Aug 8, 2024

Building A One-Watch Collection

Sometimes, our editorial meetings produce the sort of nerdy, off-topic conversations that make us pause and say, "Wait, this should be an article." Okay, more than sometimes. As our team grows, it's become clearer that we should be sharing our takes (hot, cold, or lukewarm) here on the site for your reading pleasure – or just to stir the pot a bit. Today's topic of choice is the idea of expressing what we each would consider to be a one-watch collection. It's important to note that these picks are purely subjective and derive from the minds of our editorial staff. Our hope is that this thought exercise gets you thinking about what a one-watch collection might look like for you. So with that in mind, enjoy this story and let us know what you think of our choices in the comments! Danny Milton, VP of Content Not to spoil anything, but the team really went for it with the picks in our first real editor’s roundup here at Teddy. It’s hard to argue with any of the choices because – well – they represent the tastes and opinions of each individual writer. My approach to something like a one-watch collection is complex, perhaps unnecessarily so. My instinct tells me to go Rolex, but then I start to think about scenarios in my life in which I think “maybe I am not comfortable with a Rolex here.” It does happen. So then my mind delves into the more attainable price segment where I want to identify something bulletproof, something that packs undeniable value. If you’re ...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Citizen Aug 6, 2024

Citizen Tsuki-yomi A-T Review

Japan’s Citizen Watch Company marks 100 years of watchmaking in 2024, and some of its most noteworthy recent timepieces provide ample proof that, despite being in business for a full century, the brand’s drive toward forward-thinking technology and avant-garde design has not yet started to slow down. Take for example the Citizen Tsuki-yomi A-T, unveiled in Fall of 2023 - which is the culmination of 30 years of Citizen’s pioneering work in the field of radio-controlled atomic timekeeping. It is the first light-powered watch with a fully analog moon-phase display, and the first moon-phase that requires no manual adjustments whatsoever from the wearer thanks to its high-tech movement, Eco-Drive Caliber H874, which receives signals from six multi-band radio transmitters. The name “Tsuki-yomi” is derived from a Japanese phrase meaning “reading the moon,” and also refers to a moon god from ancient Japanese mythology, while the “A-T” is an abbreviation for “Atomic Timekeeping.” For the ingenious Eco-Drive movement, which runs to an astounding accuracy of +/- 15 seconds per month, Citizen’s designers developed a special mathematical formula that calculates the exact position of the moon on each day of the year by using the radio transmission signals from the world’s atomic clocks. The watch’s dial is also a distinguishing feature: its surface is enhanced with a textural lunar landscape motif of craters, moondust and lakes that is “bold yet subtle en...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Unimatic Aug 2, 2024

First Impressions: Unimatic Toolwatch UT1 GMT

Unimatic took a step in a new direction this summer with the release of a new collection simply called Toolwatch. The collection consists of four watches across two styles, and represents a push into function-driven design. Each of the watches meet the MIL-STD-810 standard used by the US Department of Defense, and boast an internal protection system designed by Unimatic. It’s clear the Italian brand is making a serious move into true tool-watch territory here, and the watches themselves have a number of unique elements on their side, but how do they stand up to real-world, practical use? We went hands-on to find out. The UT1 GMT is one of four variations released within the Toolwatch collection, utilizing a fully indexed rotating bezel, and featuring a GMT disk and date complication. As with all Unimatic watches, the case is the most distinctive feature of the UT1, and it falls into very familiar territory. The design language that Unimatic has developed for its cases is geometric and confident, with fixed planes that meet at set angles, and no real curvature in sight. At 41.5mm in diameter, and 49mm from lug to lug, this case has a muscular presence, but never feels overbearing.  This is a case that invites a closer look at a variety of angles, and there’s always a dramatic view that awaits. It’s not graceful, but it works just fine on the wrist, all things considered. This is a watch that wears its personality on its sleeve, and at nearly 14mm thick, it won’t be...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Bulova Aug 1, 2024

Bulova Precisionist: The Most Underrated Movement in the Watch Industr

Newcomers to the watch appreciation game can be forgiven for reflexively, and solely, crediting the Japanese with bringing electronics into the mainstream of the watch industry, but the embryonic phase of the technology took place in the United States. And the most accurate electronic movement on the market today emerged from the synergy between one of America's most historic home-grown watch manufacturers and one of Japan's most innovative pioneers of timekeeping technology. It's called the Precisionist, it's exclusive to Bulova, and while you may not have heard of it or know much about it, it's becoming a fixture in several Bulova watches that increasingly demand enthusiast attention. Bulova, founded in New York City in 1875 by Bohemian immigrant Joseph Bulova, was one of the first watchmakers in the world to seriously explore the development of electronics in wristwatch movements. In 1960, just a few years after another American watch manufacturer, Hamilton, had introduced its flawed but groundbreaking electric-powered Ventura (more on that here), Bulova unveiled its own high-tech timepiece, the Accutron Spaceview 214. The watch took its numerical designation from its movement, Caliber 214, a revolutionary mechanism in which the balance wheel, which drives the timekeeping in a mechanical movement, was replaced by a tuning fork, powered by a one-transistor electronic oscillator. This system ensured an oscillation rate of 360 hertz - nearly 150 times faster than tha...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Grand Seiko Jul 31, 2024

Grand Seiko Quartz Guide: The SBGP013

Today we’re looking at one of the best ways to get into Grand Seiko if you’re just discovering the brand for the first time. Or maybe you’re just looking for your “one nice watch” and want something that can do it all. One that can go straight from the office to kicking back on the weekend, perhaps even dressing up for special occasions. A GADA watch, if you will. So if you’re just now starting to go down the rabbit hole of luxury watches, you’ve probably become somewhat familiar with Grand Seiko. The brand came into existence in 1960 as a high-end offshoot of Seiko, a shot across the bow of the Swiss watch industry, and a statement that its quality could match anything in the watchmaking world.  One thing you’ll notice as you start to look deeper into Grand Seiko is the astonishing level of craftsmanship that touches every part of every watch they make. Just like Rolex and Seiko itself, Grand Seiko is one of the most vertically integrated watch brands in the world – in other words, it manufactures nearly everything that goes into its watches. From finely polished stainless steel, precious metals, and high-intensity titanium cases to its innovative and beautifully finished movements and breathtaking dials that draw inspiration from nature, Grand Seiko does it all, going to some extraordinary lengths, including growing its own proprietary quartz crystals, and manufacturing the lubricants that go into each movement.  If you take a look at Teddy’s video ...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Jul 29, 2024

10 Small Watch Brands We're Paying Attention to in 2025

In recent years there has been a flurry of small watch brands that have succeeded in making a big impact on the watch-collector community and in the overall watch industry. With new watchmakers coming on the scene from almost every corner of the world, with styles ranging from vintage to traditional to avant-garde, which of these brands are worth paying attention to, and why? We asked two veteran watch-industry watchers and commentators (and regular fixtures on TeddyBaldassarre.com) - contributing writer Blake Buettner (former managing editor of Worn & Wound and founder of The Deep Track); and our Director of Editorial Content, Mark Bernardo (former senior editor of WatchTime magazine) - to name five small watch brands that are on their radar in 2025.  Formex (Switzerland) Formex is, in many ways, an interesting brand and manufacturer. Its design DNA is quite bold and won’t be to everyone’s taste, but it’s matured quite nicely in recent years, though the true story of this brand goes deeper still. Formex designs and manufactures many of the components used in the case and bracelet, from a quick-adjustment system to a full case suspension (explained in this article), so there’s plenty to appreciate when it comes to mechanical ingenuities. On top of that, Formex is aggressively experimental when it comes to working with novel materials, offering rarities like forged carbon cases and stone dials across its lineup. What I love about Formex is the company...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Jul 26, 2024

Annual Calendar Watches Guide

Annual calendar watches have been on the scene for a while now, though they remain a somewhat niche area of horological interest - not as revered as lofty complications like the perpetual calendar and minute repeater but also not as obsessed over as more down-to-earth mechanisms like chronographs and GMTs. And yet, the annual calendar offers not only one of the most practical functions for an everyday wearer, but has also proven to be a canvas for some truly engaging designs. As per its name, an annual calendar displays the day, date, and month and need only be manually adjusted by its wearer once per year, at the end of February. Patek Philippe's Aquanaut Luce Annual Calendar introduced in 2023 Most of the wristwatch complications we’re familiar with are relatively ancient in origin, and almost all of them old enough to have debuted in pocketwatches rather than wristwatches. The first wristwatch chronograph, made by Longines, appeared in 1913; the first minute repeater for the wrist goes all the way back to 1892, invented by Louis Brandt, founder of Omega; and the first wrist-borne perpetual calendar made its debut in 1925, engineered by none other than Patek Philippe, which had actually invented the compact-sized movement for it as early as 1889, using it at the time in a ladies’ pendant watch. The annual calendar, by contrast, even though it might seem to today’s enthusiasts to be a fixture among luxury watch complications, is much younger, tracing its origin st...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Jaeger-LeCoultre Jul 19, 2024

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Guide

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso is one of those historical, influential timepieces that has been occasionally imitated but never really equaled in its appeal. Tracing its origins back nearly a hundred years, It is the most prominent and enduring example of Art Deco design in the 21st Century watch world and one of the first and most successful examples of a tool watch that transcended its utilitarian origins to become a stylish and indisputably unisex fashion accessory. Read on to discover everything you need to know about the Reverso and how it has maintained its iconic status in a century of shifting trends and industry headwinds. Foundations: Jaeger Meets LeCoultre Antoine LeCoultre Today a watchmaking house renowned for both its high-luxury pedigree and a high-horology acumen nearly unmatched in the industry, Jaeger-LeCoultre had the humblest of beginnings. In 1833 Antoine LeCoultre (1803 - 1881), descendant of farmers and blacksmiths, started making timepieces in his family’s small barn in Le Sentier in Switzerland’s Vallée de Joux. Learning metallurgy from his father at the family forge, LeCoultre developed an early interest in watchmaking and proved to be an influential innovator of his era. His so-called “millionomètre,” completed in 1844, had a profound impact on the precise manufacture of watch parts as it was the first instrument able to measure 1/1000ths of a millimeter, aka microns. At the 1851 Great Exhibition in London’s Hyde Park, LeCoultre was awa...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Jul 17, 2024

5 Watches To Start A Collection

Having a collection of watches isn’t generally something you plan on. It’s something that emerges over time, and it’s rarely a linear path. While it may seem natural to focus on finding the perfect watch or watches to fill out your watch box, the reality is that all watches have their faults, and the real key is learning which of those you can live with, and which you can’t. In time, some of those, let’s call them quirks, can even become endearing. With that in mind, instead of looking at watches that will begin a collection, let us take a look at watches that will end up lasting in your collection. Sure, they could start your collection, but they could just as easily end it, whether that collection consists of two watches, or 50.  With that, here are 5 watches that would kick off any collection with a bang, and that I feel would have a high likelihood of sticking around for the long term.  Disclaimer: these selections will lean a bit toward the tool watch end of the spectrum, as those are the watches that I find the most well-rounded and practical for my purposes. If you’re looking for some classier recommendations in the same vein, keep an eye out for a future installment.  Brew Metric The Brew Metric is a remarkably fun, simple watch that represents the sheer creativity happening in the small independent brand space. This is a great watch to start with for a few reasons. First, it can be had in a wide variety of colorways, which range from classic and de...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Marathon Jul 10, 2024

Marathon Watches Guide

Many watch companies have a history of supplying timepieces for military units around the world, from Blancpain and Tudor’s dive watches for the French Navy to Hamilton’s field watches for World War II troops to IWC’s pilot watches for German and later British air forces. However, only one watch company has been an official supplier to the U.S. armed forces throughout nearly its entire existence, and it’s a company that many watch enthusiasts might be hearing about for the very first time: Marathon Watch Company. Read on for more background and a comprehensive rundown of the brand's collection. The Marathon Watch Company, one of the very few family-owned watch brands in existence and one of the even fewer based in Canada, traces its lineage all the way back to 1904. Its predecessor, the Weinstrum Watch Company, was founded by the Wein family, Russian immigrants who originally settled in New York City. (Another branch of the family changed their last name to “Wenger” and founded another Canadian watch business under that name, though it’s not to be confused with the better known Wenger company in Switzerland, today part of Victorinox.) In 1939, family scion Morris Wein carried on the family trade with the founding of Marathon, basing it not in New York but in Montreal, Canada, where the family had moved during the 1920s - not exactly a hotbed of watchmaking even at the time, but an ideal home base for the mission that the company began in 1941: supplying dep...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Longines Jul 8, 2024

Longines Watches Guide

In 2022, Longines marked 190 years in operation, which means that the Swiss watchmaker’s bicentennial year is just around the corner. In nearly two centuries of continuous operation, Longines has not only been a reliable producer of watches in all kinds of styles for both men and ladies; it has also been responsible for more watchmaking milestones than you probably know. Here we take a look at the remarkable history of Longines watches. Foundations (1832-1908) Longines was founded in 1832, originally as Raiguel Jeune et Cie., in the Swiss Jura town of Saint-Imier by Auguste Agassiz and two partners. Agassiz (above, left) became the sole proprietor in 1846 after both partners, attorneys by trade, retired from the watch business, and shortly thereafter, he brought his nephew, an enterprising economist named Ernest Françillon (above, right), into the company. It was Françillon, in 1867, who moved all of the firm’s various watchmaking disciplines - which were scattered throughout dozens of independent workshops called établisseurs - under one roof, to a factory that was situated in a scenic area called “Les Longines” or “The Long Meadows,” thus giving the company its now-familiar name. In 1889, Francillon registered the famous Longines logo with a winged hourglass - today the world’s oldest unchanged, active logo according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Among Longines’ many milestones under Françillon’s management were the c...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Seiko Jul 5, 2024

The Seiko Pogue SSC 947: Your Guide

There are some watches out there that have achieved a rare sort of infamy and the Seiko Speedtimer 6139, also known as the “Pogue,” is one such watch. It is named after Colonel William R. Pogue who wore one during NASA’s Skylab missions. It was also the first automatic chronograph to travel to space. It’s become an icon because of its historical bona fides, but also because of it’s positively ridiculous (read, charming) colorway that fits so well in the ‘70s decade in which it was conceived. Key aesthetic tenets of a Pogue are the red and blue bezel insert and a certain yellowish-gold dial. It’s the sort of gold color that’ll have you conspiracy theorizing that this watch was in the Pulp Fiction briefcase.  All of this backstory and preamble is to intentionally bury the lede and tell you that Seiko has, today, brought the Pogue back…sort of. Say hello to the Speedtimer Solar Chronograph, SSC947 which follows in the recently established design format of the solar Speedtimer range – the 41.5mm case size version of which the current Pepsi bezel SSC913 is a personal favorite. I remember when the line was announced and really loving the execution from the compact pushers to the great case size to the overall thinness due to the lack of a mechanical movement. And look, while the Pogue owes much of its fame to the fact that it housed an automatic caliber, we cannot just expect brands to issue 1:1 remakes of classic models. Seiko needs to innovate. It found a ...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Zenith Jul 4, 2024

Zenith Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar Review

Good things tend to come in threes. Turning a triple play in baseball, hitting a trifecta in horse racing, three of a kind in poker - all of these are cause for celebration for those who achieve them. Nailing a clutch three-pointer in basketball can send a home crowd into euphoria, and “third time’s the charm” is the motivating mantra for every budding success story battling obstacles and doubts. In horological terms, one of the most desirable trilogies can be found in the so-called “Triple Calendar,” a style of timepiece that occupies the sweet spot between the simplest of calendar complications - your date and day-date functions - and the higher and accordingly pricier echelons represented by annual and perpetual calendars.  The Triple (also known as the “Complete”) is the simplest type of full-calendar function in that it displays all the information a wearer could need to determine the exact date - month of the year, day of the week, and date of the month- but also requires adjustment at the end of any month shorter than 31 days. (An annual calendar will make this adjustment for you in every month except February, while a perpetual calendar will adjust for every month all the way up until the year 2100 - always assuming, of course, that you, or whomever you pass the watch on to, keeps it wound all those years.) As I also point out in my guide to watch complications, these calendar indications are often, but not always, accompanied by a moon-p...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Tudor Jul 3, 2024

Tudor Black Bay Ceramic 'Blue' – Everything You Need To Know

Back in February of this year, shortly after Tudor became a sponsor of the Visa Cash App RB Racing Team, driver Daniel Ricciardo was spotted wearing a curious blue dial Tudor Black Bay Ceramic – a watch that up to that point had not existed. It was a very “Daniel Craig wearing a white pre-release Speedmaster to Planet Omega in New York” moment. As it turns out, this watch became the standard timepiece in the paddock for both drivers Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda. But the story sort of ended there and we were left to figure that this was just a racing watch…not for public consumption. That is, until this morning, when Tudor let it be known that the Tudor Black Bay Ceramic “Blue” is now a very real thing that us very real people can very truly own. And now we have a lot more images of the watch to boot. In light of the fact that Ricciardo somewhat spoiled this launch back in February, there is not much to say that isn’t known. And similar to the white Speedmaster, we are effectively talking about a dial change here. But nonetheless, let’s get into this one. The watch takes the form of the 2021 Black Bay Ceramic release which, at the time, boasted an all-black-everything design motif from the ceramic case to the dial to the strap. The BB Ceramic comes in at 41mm with a case thickness of 14.4mm. It features the METAS-certified master chronometer MT5602-U1. What is significant about that movement is that the original BB Ceramic was the watch to debut Tudor’s for...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

IWC Jul 2, 2024

IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40 Review

IWC released a new generation of its Ingenieur collection in 2023, at what many would consider the tail end of the integrated-luxury-sport-watch craze that gripped the industry heading into 2020. At the time, it was tempting to say that IWC was a bit late to the punch here, especially considering the Schaffhausen-based brand's enviable position of having an original Gérald Genta design from the ‘70s to utilize. In hindsight, however, it seems that IWC was playing the long game, and wasn’t interested in rushing out a throwback type of release. Instead, IWC took a bit more time and released a modern rendition of the original Genta design, released in 1976, as a foundation for years to come. The result is the Reference 3289 Ingenieur, and it’s a watch that looks to do more than merely capitalize on a passing trend.  There are two watches with which you likely associate the name Gérald Genta, and those are the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, and the Patek Philippe Nautilus. Genta penned both of these now iconic designs, in 1972 and 1976 respectively, and they have served as cornerstones in creating the premium sport-watch genre as a whole, as well as helped to spawn the subset of integrated-bracelet designs within it. But those are far from the only watches that can be attributed to Genta, and in fact, aren’t even the only integrated-bracelet sport-watch designs to come out of that era. In 1976, he also designed a new Ingenieur for IWC, known as the SL Ref. 1832 (tha...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Longines Jun 19, 2024

Longines Conquest 38mm Review

Longines has just revamped its Conquest line of watches – the modern Conquest line – by injecting into it a new sense of color, and a not-so-novel, but nonetheless appreciated, approach to sizing. When it comes to color, the brand unveiled three pastel dial shades in its 34mm variants within the Conquest lineup. But other big news is the addition of a 38mm sizing where previously you were left only to be able to choose 41mm at the “large” end of the spectrum. While the eye-catching pastel dials in blue, pink, and light green certainly took much of the release spotlight around the new Conquests, they only come in 34mm sizing and I can’t help but think that the less flashy dials in the new 38mm format is the real show-stealer here. We say this all the time, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that 38mm is that sweet spot for watch diameters. More and more brands are dabbling in the 37-38mm range as well. I wrote about the Zenith Defy Revival A3648 (in my debut article here at Teddy no less) which clocks in at 37mm. Then we have the Tudor Black Bay 54, and of course the fan-favorite Hamilton Khaki Field Murph 38 just to name a few.  In short, 38mm is where it’s at, as is the simple time and date watch format in steel on a bracelet. Just look at how popular the Rolex Oyster Perpetual line is as a bare bones steel sports watch. Okay, that watch has no date, but it does bear a visual resemblance to these new Conquest models. I could just as easily throw the Dat...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Rolex Jun 14, 2024

Rolex Turn-o-Graph: What You Should Know About the Rolex Tool Watch th

From the beginning of 1953 to the end of 1954, Rolex had perhaps the most productive and impactful period that any watchmaker had ever managed in a two-year stretch. The Explorer, the gold standard of adventure-oriented luxury watches, debuted in the summer of 1953 and the first Submariner, the quintessential diver’s watch, was manufactured that same year. The Submariner’s public debut wasn’t until 1954 at the Basel Watch Fair, but it wasn’t the only trendsetting Rolex watch the Crown released that year: the other was the original GMT-Master, the dual-time travel watch against which all others are measured. Photo: Matthew Bain We all are familiar with the three iconic Oyster Perpetual timepieces above, but few may be aware that Rolex released another tool watch in 1953, whose production not only preceded that of the Submariner and GMT-Master but whose signature design feature influenced the look of both. That watch is the Rolex Turn-o-Graph, the first serially produced Rolex tool watch equipped with a rotating bezel that could be used for timing intervals. (To be thorough, it should be noted that it was not the very first Rolex watch with such a feature: the Zerographe Ref. 3346, made way back in 1937, takes that honor, along with the distinction of being the first Rolex watch with a movement made in-house -  with a flyback chronograph, no less. The rarest of unicorns, the Zerographe (below) is nearly forgotten today, rarely mentioned in official Rolex literatur...

Read article

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Zenith Jun 13, 2024

Zenith Defy Revival A3648 Review

There is no doubt that most enthusiasts think of the brand Zenith and picture, in their mind’s eye, a chronograph – a chronograph powered by the now storied El Primero automatic chronograph movement which debuted in 1969. Triple use of the word chronograph in one sentence notwithstanding, it punctuates the kind of watch associated with this powerhouse of a brand. And 1969 was a monumental year for automatic chronographs. But it was also the year Zenith introduced its punchy, ready for the 1970s, and decidedly orange dive watch: The Defy A3648. Yes, a Zenith diver was released the same year as the El Primero…and the latter clearly took off on a trajectory far different from that of its aquatic counterpart. Vintage Zenith A3648 from around the time of the watch's launch. Over the past decade or so, Zenith has proven itself to be unmatched in the watch game when it comes to revivals, homages, re-editions, whatever you like to call them (Zenith literally calls them “Revivals” so we will too). Some Zenith Revival models are modern riffs on vintage designs, with slight tweaks, while others are near 1:1 recreations. Think back to the Defy Revival models of the past two years, with both black and ruby dial options. Those were authentic recreations down to the vintage-style clasps (an under-looked component of homage, if you ask me!). At Watches & Wonders 2024, Zenith returned to the 1969 well and brought its spunky orange dive watch back to life in the form of the De...

Read article