Monochrome
In 2020, H. Moser & Cie. introduced its Streamliner series, offering its distinctive interpretation of the luxury sports watch with an integrated bracelet. If you’ve followed the brand, you’re likely acquainted with the Streamliner’s diverse lineup, including the chronograph, perpetual calendar, time-only, small seconds and tourbillon models. Notably, the red gold Streamliner Tourbillon Vantablack from […]
Teddy Baldassarre
When we think about watches and space travel, Omega’s Speedmaster Professional “Moonwatch” - the first watch qualified for missions by NASA and the first worn on the moon - is the timepiece that inevitably comes to mind. New York-based Bulova Watch Company, however, also played a noteworthy role during the height of the U.S.A.’s Space Race with the Soviet Union in the 1950s and ‘60s. The company, at the time headed by American war hero General Omar Bradley, established a partnership with NASA in which it provided precision instruments and timekeeping devices equipped with Bulova’s signature Accutron tuning-fork technology for 46 space missions. Bulova even developed a watch built specifically for space travel, the electronic-powered Accutron Astronaut, which was worn in space for the first time in 1963, inside the Mercury Atlas-9 capsule that orbited the Earth. While the Omega Speedmaster established itself as the watch issued to astronauts of the Apollo program, which culminated in the July 1969 moon landing, Accutron Astronaut watches had become standard issue for the pilots of the U.S. Air Force’s X-15 experimental rocket-powered aircraft program and eventually for CIA pilots in their Lockheed A-12 supersonic jets. A Bulova Accutron clock remains in the moon's Sea of Tranquility to this day, placed there by Apollo 11 astronaut (and famous Omega wearer) Buzz Aldrin in 1969. In 1971, Bulova personally gifted a one-of-a-kind, customized chronograph wa...
Fratello
Two decades ago, Omega reintroduced the racing dial to the Speedmaster Professional. It was only for the Japanese market, and only 2,004 pieces were produced. As you might know, there are more of them around, but we’ll get to that later. Speedmaster Japan Racing 3570.40 First, let’s go back 20 years. At that time, Omega […] Visit The Omega Speedmaster Japan Racing - It Has Been 20 Years to read the full article.
Revolution
Fratello
Louis Moinet (1768–1853) was the inventor of the chronograph, so it’s always intriguing to examine the newest releases from the brand that bears his name. Today, we’ll look into the Impulsion Onyx, the latest variant within a line that debuted in 2023. This is an elegant watch with a sporty twist and a serious dose […] Visit The Louis Moinet Impulsion Onyx Is A Showpiece Tourbillon Chronograph to read the full article.
Fratello
When you read the name Zenith, what comes to mind? Radios? Televisions? Well, at one point in its history, the watch brand Zenith was owned by the Zenith Radio Corporation of America, so that’s not completely weird, especially if you’re American. But for non-US citizens and, in particular, watch-focused ones, Zenith means El Primero - […] Visit Breaking Down The Brand Zenith: The Watch Brand That Could Have Been Bigger Than Rolex to read the full article.
Hodinkee
More than 30 watches of the singer’s collection are set to hit auction as part of eight sales dedicated to Sir Elton.
Worn & Wound
What do Canned Unicorn Meat, a Tauntaun Sleeping Bag, an Apple Store Playmobil set with optional Line Pack, and the Studio Underd0g 01 SERIES Chronograph Pepper0ni have in common? All of these were introduced first as April Fool’s pranks before eventually transforming into real products (except the Apple Store Playmobil set - still a little mad at that one never making the leap). Back in the halcyon days of the internet, ThinkGeek specialized in this sort of April Fool’s nonsense. Today, Studio Underd0g is joining forces with Time+Tide to bring a little bit of that fun back. You may remember that back in April, Studio Underd0g founder Richard Benc (with some help from Time+Tide’s Andrew McUtchen) released a teaser video for another in the brand’s line of food-inspired watches. But where previous releases like the Watermel0n, Strawberries & Cream, or Pink Lem0nade have been mostly content to draw their bright color palettes from eponymous inspirations, the Pepper0ni promised a more… overt take on its namesake. While it quickly became apparent that the idea of a pizza-inspired 01SERIES Chronograph was meant as a one-off gag to celebrate the internet’s favorite holiday, apparently a huge number of you pizza/watch enthusiasts reached out asking after the watch. Now, nine months later, what was once a joke has become a reality - well, actually, two realities - because the real-life version of the Pizza Party chronograph comes in two distinct flavors: Pepper0n...
Fratello
Paul Newman made the Rolex Daytona famous for all kinds of reasons, but money wasn’t one of them. Will Bradley Cooper make the Louis Vuitton Tambour a legend of the watch world? Well, when the American actor was an IWC ambassador, he didn’t get a watch (nick)named after him. Also, once his deal with the […] Visit Over The Influence - Why Watches Worn By The Celebs Of Today Won’t Be The Icons Of Tomorrow to read the full article.
Fratello
Did anyone order pizza? Well, actually, I know many of you did. When Studio Underd0g founder Richard Benc and Time+Tide founder Andrew McUtchen seemed to launch a pizza watch last April, watch enthusiasts went wild. Unfortunately, it was a very well-played April Fools’ joke, and everybody could soon get back to what they were doing. […] Visit Your Pizza Is Ready! - Introducing The Highly Requested Studio Underd0g Pepper0ni And Hawaiian Chronographs to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
After a period of relative quiet in the watch industry over the holidays, as we head into mid-January it’s clear that we are not being fully launched into New Release Season, with news coming across our desks about watch releases from some of our favorite brands. Some we can share now, and some will have to wait, but it’s clear whatever respite we had between Thanksgiving and New Years is, well, completely over. First out of the gate among the big Swiss luxury brands is Zenith, with news about an addition to their Pilot collection, which was their big launch in 2023. The Pilot collection took us by surprise last year. After several years of focusing on the Defy and Chronomaster lines, it felt like a left turn of sorts. But Zenith is rightfully incredibly proud of the Pilot and the heritage it represents. Zenith trademarked “Pilot” in 1904, and is famously the only watchmaker who can use the word solo on a watch dial. The watches we saw last year represented a new twist on a format we know well. They aren’t regurgitations of a historic reference, but feel like a modern realization of an aviation themed watch with contemporary proportions and materials. The new boutique editions seen here take the Pilot Automatic and Pilot Big Date Flyback and add blue dials, offering an alternative to the jet black seen on last year’s collection. According to Zenith, the shade of blue seen on these dials is meant to evoke the night sky as seen by a pilot, but blue is a commo...
Hodinkee
Adding to the Black Series releases of last year, the new SRPK43 and SSC923 are good options if you've been looking for a darker take on two of Seiko's core watches.
Monochrome
Last Tuesday (of course), Omega presented its latest Speedmaster model, the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8. As an updated version of an existing model, the watch felt highly familiar at first sight. Presented in 2018 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the mission that first observed the other side of our satellite […]
SJX Watches
Six years ago, Omega introduced the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon “Apollo 8”, a distinctive take on the Speedmaster Moonwatch featuring a Moon surface-patterned movement and dial. Basically an amalgamation of the all-ceramic Dark Side of the Moon (DSOTM) with the Moonwatch, the model has now undergone a significant mechanical upgrades with a new METAS-certified calibre, while preserving essentially the same design. Initial thoughts The original Apollo 8 was noteworthy for challenging the traditional concept of the Speedmaster Moonwatch. While it had the same movement and dimensions, the materials, styling, and finishing were entirely different. Visually, it was a major departure from the familiar Moonwatch. The latest version sticks to the same aesthetic, so it doesn’t bring much novelty in terms of appearance, save for a rocket-shaped seconds hand. But it does have an upgraded movement, essentially the next-generation Moonwatch movement finished in the Apollo 8 style. As is often the case with Omega, incremental improvements to existing models are a means to explore new concepts or technologies, which in the case of the original Apollo 8 would have been the textured lunar-surface finishing. This new model would have been more significant if a more developed or advanced version of the texturing had been applied, setting it apart more obviously from its predecessor. Priced at US$14,300, the upgraded Apollo 8 falls sits at the middle of the price range for the cera...
Time+Tide
Is a little titanium rocket all there is to add to the new DSOTM?The post 2024 Omega Speedmaster Apollo 8 Dark Side of the Moon – what is actually new? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
Six years later, and this iteration of the DSOTM is now METAS-certified and finely finished.
Worn & Wound
A January launch of a new Speedmaster (on a Tuesday, of course) has become a bit of a tradition for Omega over these past few years. Today, Omega has announced a new Dark Side of the Moon Speedmaster, which at first glance (and maybe a second and third glance) will look a whole lot like an earlier iteration of the popular ceramic version of the chronograph. The newest addition, though, has a few little updates that are likely to appeal to the most hardcore Speedmaster collectors. “Little” is the operative word here for at least one of them, which also might be the most technically impressive. The Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 is a follow up to the first edition of this watch, which was released in 2018 to mark the 50th anniversary of the mission. That original Apollo 8 watch was an immediate hit. It combined a lot of the modern tech and materials of contemporary ceramic Speedmasters with the familiar and highly regarded manually wound movement that is so much a part of the Speedy’s DNA. The rendition of the lunar surface on the dial was also particularly well executed and impressive. The new Apollo 8 features an updated movement, Calibre 3869, which is analogous to Calibre 1869 used in the previous version. This new movement has been specced to match Calibre 3861, the manually wound caliber at the heart of the current Moonwatch. It’s a significant upgrade from the older movement, and has been fitted with a co-axial escapement and meets all the requir...
Revolution
Monochrome
The connection between Omega and space exploration isn’t to be demonstrated anymore. While born as a racing chronograph, the 1957 Speedmaster is now known by all as the official watch of astronauts, as the watch worn by Apollo 11 crew members… It’s nicknamed the Moonwatch for a reason. Yet, there’s more than this specific version […]
Monochrome
Nearly a year ago, Zenith made a striking debut with the all-new Pilot collection, introducing the Big Date Flyback chronograph and the Automatic models, both available in either stainless steel or black ceramic. A departure from the earlier Zenith Pilot references, these watches showcased a fresh look, featuring a new case and crown, dial designs, […]
SJX Watches
Twenty twenty-one was an important year for Grand Seiko as it saw the introduction of the brand’s latest-generation mechanical movement, the cal. 9SA5. A modern movement with attractive aesthetic and proprietary escapement, the cal. 9SA5 debuted in the Heritage “White Birch” SLGH005. But Grand Seiko didn’t stop there. Building upon the flagship calibre, Grand Seiko created the cal. 9SC5 and launched the Grand Seiko Tentagraph SLGC001. A large, sporty watch but entirely in lightweight titanium, the Tentagraph is a milestone for Grand Seiko (GS) as the brand’s first-ever mechanical chronograph. “Tentagraph” is self-explanatory, an acronym outlining the key features of the watch and cal. 9SC5 within: TEN beats per second, Three-day power reserve, Automatic winding, and chronoGRAPH. Initial thoughts The Tentagraph has all the tactile features expected in a modern, high-spec sports chronograph, namely substantial proportions and crisp, smooth pusher action. As expected for GS, it boasts high quality finishing inside and out, with the case in particular having category-leading finishing and detailing. And from a technical perspective, it is notable for being the high-frequency chronograph with the longest power reserve on the market – the balance runs at 36,000 beats per hour, or 5 Hz, and the power reserve is 72 hours, or three days. Aesthetically, the Tentagraph is refreshingly modern. It retains the characteristic GS design, but tweaked to accentuate the sport...
Quill & Pad
In the annals of A. Lange & Söhne history, the Double Split was one of the most widely celebrated releases. It introduced the idea of a split-second and split-minute chronograph allowing the wearer to time at least two events lasting up to an hour. The Triple Split is the inevitable progression of it, adding a split-hour function to allow timing two multi-hour events up to 12 hours.
Deployant
Our Dragon watches coverage continues with the offering from IWC in the form of their popular Portugieser Chronograph. Limited edition of 1000 pieces.
Revolution
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