Quill & Pad
Has history been rewritten? An early Gérald Genta design made for IWC – regrettably never put into production – suggests so. On June 22, 2022 the not-yet-seen sketch was auctioned by Sotheby’s.
Time+Tide
Now available in White Citrine, Warm Grey, and Sand Gold, the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF 36mm is still resplendently sparkly.The post Three more Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF 36mm references for the glamorous at heart appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Having just launched the Sunlit Ivory edition for its Singapore retailer, Parmigiani now unveils the Tonda PF Automatic 36 mm for ladies. Though it retains the same dimensions and details, including the hand-guilloché dial, the new Tonda PF is available with a variety of diamond settings. Three versions are being launched, including a top-of-the-line model with lines of diamonds along the entire circumference of the watch and bracelet. The entry-level model, on the other hand, is two-tone rose gold and steel with diamond indices. The two-tone Tonda PF Automatic 36mm on the wrist Initial thoughts Although the Tonda PF 36 mm is one of many integrated-bracelet sports watch, it has a bit more of dress watch element to its design, especially in this 36 mm size. It’s more compact without sacrificing the sporty aspect of the model, making it quite versatile – the fact that it’s a convincing ladies’ sports watch in this new livery confirms that. Priced from CHF31,900 to CHF78,900 depending on the version, the new Tonda PF 36 mm is similarly to the competition. With integrated-bracelet sports watches being premium priced in general – reflecting an earlier fad – Tonda PF is a value proposition compared to alternatives when considering fit, finish, and materials. That said, I wish it was priced more competitively considering that Parmigiani is a newish brand without a historical lineage of sports watches that the “Holy Trinity” brands possess. A familiar design The t...
Hodinkee
Nearly thirty years later, some things have changed for the Royal Oak Grand Comps, and many things remain the same. But you can count on one thing: they're ridiculous in the best way.
Deployant
The watchmaker for the King of United Kingdom, Parmigiani Fleurier has released their latest variant of the Tonda PF 36mm. It is aimed at powerful women with the most discerning taste for haute horology.
SJX Watches
A new livery for one of Zenith’s most popular models, the Defy Skyline Skeleton White Ceramic shares the styling of its siblings like the Defy Skyline 36 mm but with a few notable tweaks including a white ceramic case and blue-treated skeletonised movement. And though it appears to be a simple time-only watch, the Defy Skyline features a discreet complication in the form of a “lightning” small seconds hand that completes one rotation every ten seconds. Initial thoughts Zenith has recently been playing it safe with new launches by building on current bestsellers, like the Defy Skyline. The new skeleton in white ceramic is a good looking watch, and an excellent execution of one of Zenith’s modern-day classics. The combination is also novel. Although each key element of the watch is common in itself – a skeleton movement plus the white ceramic case and bracelet – they are relatively uncommon together. The Defy Skyline Skeleton on the wrist However, the Defy Skyline arguably tries too hard to capitalise on the recent (and waning) popularity of integrated-bracelet sports watches. It is not difficult to see a resemblance to the Royal Oak, in particular the one-off Royal Oak made for Only Watch 2023, making it a bit cliché. Priced at US$17,500, the Defy Skyline Skeleton in white ceramic is a decent value proposition compared to similar watches, most of which are from pricier brands like Hublot or Audemars Piguet. Besides the ceramic case and bracelet, it stands out ...
Fratello
This week, exactly one year has passed since the Louis Vuitton Tambour 40mm Automatic appeared in its new braceleted guise. With heavy hitters like the Polo ’79 having appeared this year, what are my thoughts on the Louis Vuitton Tambour one year on? There’s no escaping from the fact that retro and integrated bracelets are […] Visit The Louis Vuitton Tambour One Year On: Has The Infatuation Lingered? to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
Whether you’re a seasoned high horology watch enthusiast, or a dedicated sports watch collector, everyone needs at least 1 or 2 easy to wear quartz watches. There are times when you don’t want something attention grabbing on your wrist, times when you’re in a rush out the door, and also some situations where you don’t want to risk damaging or getting a valuable watch unnecessarily dirty if you can avoid it. This is where the lovely quartz watch segment saves us. Not all Quartz watches fall into this ideology though, after all there are Quartz powered Royal Oaks and various other ultra high-end quartz watches that would serve no replacement as a beater watch. The watches we’re going to discuss today generally veer more towards affordability without compromise. These are watches that can be just as interesting as their mechanical counterparts – but they also serve as a “simple decision” watch, or perhaps just as a change of pace away from the mechanical theme within your personal collection. G-SHOCK GWM5610-1 ($150) Does G-SHOCK really need an introduction? Not really. This is a brand that’s become just as venerable as some of the most prestigious watch houses in the industry. They’ve built a name for themselves as being indestructible digital sports watches with resin cases that make excellent everyday wear watches. While the brand has a huge repertoire of models, some of them such as the GWM5610-1, truly stand out for their aesthetics as well as their...
Monochrome
Parmigiani Fleurier, the upscale watch brand founded by master restorer and watchmaker Michel Parmigiani in 1996, changed management in 2021 with the appointment of Guido Terreni. Since Terreni’s arrival, the collections have been streamlined, and all efforts have been focused on developing the Tonda PF Collection (and the Toric recently). This collection, derived from Michel […]
Revolution
Quill & Pad
Hey Marvel movie fans, Tim Mosso hast a watch for you. No, not those AP Royal Oaks dubiously decorated with spandex suits. He's talking about the Vacheron Constantin Harmony Chronograph.
Quill & Pad
Since the Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222 is descended from a steel sports watch, and was an early inspiration for the Overseas collection, it might seem that launching the first new model in 37 years would lean heavily on the “sports” aspect of the watch. But design and aesthetic are clearly the motivating factor for Vacheron Constantin deciding to lead with a yellow gold edition, explains Joshua Munchow, one of many fans.
Fratello
Some watches are more emblematic of their manufacturers than others. The Royal Oak is certainly the brand hero for Audemars Piguet. The opening of calibers, however, is equally characteristic of the Maison from Le Brassus. So it is no exaggeration to say that an openworked Royal Oak is about as AP as it gets. The […] Visit Introducing: New Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked Variations to read the full article.
Revolution
Teddy Baldassarre
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...
Monochrome
Audemars Piguet powerfully demonstrates the theory that “two is better than one” in the Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked, a coveted collector’s model with two balance wheels for increased chronometric precision and viewing pleasure. Following the recently released 37mm tone-on-tone gold version, AP proposes a trilogy of 41mm models in steel, black ceramic and […]
Fratello
The H. Moser Streamliner just had its Haute Horlogerie chops dialed up to eleven. The result is a thoroughly modern and characterful watch that cannot be confused with anything other than a Moser. What we get is the familiar Streamliner case with its organically integrated bracelet and sterile dial. Don’t fret, though, because “sterile” does […] Visit Introducing: The H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
Retter is a microbrand founded by New York native Deep Ghosh, and they’ve just released their second watch, the Mistral. The first Retter watch, the 22, was a sub $1,000 integrated bracelet sports watch. The Mistral represents a bigger swing, and could be a sign of the brand growing into itself a little, something you’d hope any brand on their second collection would be doing. The Mistral is described by Retter as a “dress-casual” watch, which I think in most scenarios is actually just a “watch.” It’s unfortunate, in my opinion, that we need to put labels like this onto new designs, but that’s just where we are at the moment I guess. The Mistral has a genuinely distinct visual identity that doesn’t really fit into a particular category. It’s ironic that the brand would use a somewhat toothless descriptor like “dress-casual” to describe something that in practice isn’t nearly as generic as the term would imply. What we have here is a 38mm watch with horn lugs and a thin profile of just 7.4mm (crystal included). Retter is able to accomplish this thanks to a case construction they call “shell-style.” You have a to dig a bit through their press materials to get a handle on what this actually means (it’s not explained in detail on their website), but it’s essentially a clever method of building the case in such a way that it suggests old-fashioned soldered lugs without actually doing the work of soldering them. The lugs are part of an integ...
Monochrome
Released in 2022, the Defy Skyline was Zenith‘s answer to the growing demand for sports watches with integrated bracelets. Blending historical cues of the late 1960s Defy model with modern mechanics and design elements, it fuses the styles of the Defy Classic and Defy Extreme into a new interpretation of a luxury sports watch. As […]
Monochrome
Oversized watches are a thing of the past…? Well, on paper yes. For two to three years now, many brands have been scaling down their watches. Timepieces can move back to 40mm or sometimes even less. Yet, some models are made to be big and bold. 1990s and early 2000s Panerai, the IWC Big Pilot […]
Time+Tide
Designed by Gérald Genta, launched as a quartz model, and iterated upon over the next decade, it's a fun-filled model from Omega's past.The post The oddball Gérald Genta-designed Omega that everyone forgets about appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
Two of the colorful new Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba watches are easy. One comes in yellow and the other one in orange. But the third one is a bit more puzzling. Is it pink? No, I think the right name for the color Hamilton so boldly decided to use is magenta, a purplish-red hue. You […] Visit Hands-On With A Trio Of Colorful Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Watches to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
eBay Finds is back! This bi-monthly installment will feature a selection of watches currently listed on eBay that have caught the eye of editor Christoph McNeil (@vintagediver). If you come across any hidden gems on the ‘Bay drop us a note at info@wornandwound.com for potential inclusion! A special note this week: this is the 100th edition of eBay Finds! Congratulations to Christoph on hitting the century mark, and thanks to all of you for following along with us as we scour eBay for the coolest vintage watches. Vintage Bulova This vintage Bulova is more than meets the eye! The smaller 31mm steel case looks unpolished, and the fancy curved lugs and scalloped bezel look fantastic and ooze style. The white dial has a deep radial groove pattern that is really nice, plus the small applied steel arrow markers match the dagger hands. But the real gem is the hi-grade Bulova 10BPAC 23 jewel automatic movement. It is adjusted for heat, cold and isochronism in three positions. This is something you would see in a Chronometre grade movement. And even though these were not submitted for that certification, they were nevertheless highly adjusted, superb movements. Great looking piece with a beautiful movement! View auction here Vintage Rado Silver Stag Here’s a beauty with loads of personality. This vintage Rado Silver Stag not only has a killer name, it has killer style as well. The square case (and integrated bracelet) has a nice brushed finish, with clipped corners and a b...
Fratello
Another Friday, another Top 5! This week, we look at some of the best Audemars Piguet releases of 2024. With a new CEO Ilaria Resta now leading the brand, it will be interesting to see what the future has in store. In her first six months on the job, we have seen quite a few […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Recently Released Audemars Piguet Watches - More Than Just Royal Oaks to read the full article.
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