Latest watch news · Page 1536

Early this year, Breitling announced a series of new watches for 2020. In it was the revival of the Superocean Heritage ‘57. This particular model stood out for us and now we finally have the chance to go hands-on. This particular model, reference A10370161C1X1, is part of Breitling’s Capsules collection where they pay tribute to the 1950’s and 1960’s laidback surfing lifestyles. Breitling drew design inspirations from the songs created by musicians such as Beach Boys, Jay and Dan and the Ventures.  Reference A10370161C1X1 CEO of Breitling, Mr. Georges Kern said “The Capsule Collections let us tell some of our brand’s most inspiring stories while we produce some remarkably unique watches for a limited amount of time. With the Superocean Heritage ’57 Capsule Collection, we’ve focused on the relaxed Southern California fun-in-the-sun culture that defined an era. The surfing itself in the 1950s and 1960s is at the heart of our storytelling here, but those times offered so much more: the great music, the amazing cars, and the almost spiritual connection to freedom found on endless sandy beaches and in the search for the perfect wave.”  We chose to go hands on with the blue dial SOH ’57 (reference A10370161C1X1) as it caught our eye. Reference A10370161C1X1 Breitling SOH ’57 Case: SOH ‘57 comes in a 42mm size casing and the case is constructed from stainless steel. The dial without the concave bezel is measured at just 38mm!. With a thickness of just u...

Unveiled quietly in July and destined only for a handful of Asian markets to start with – and then worldwide from November 2020 – the Tudor Royal is a lightly retro wristwatch with an integrated bracelet, almost a luxury-sports watch, but for decidedly entry-level money. Like many of Tudor’s more affordable watches, the Royal Day-Date is powered by a Sellita movement, as opposed to the in-house movements found in the upper-end models. But the Royal still boasts the brand’s typically excellent quality, especially of the case and bracelet. The design of the Royal, however, is a mixed bag. Initial thoughts The Royal is good enough that I hope it will be gently tweaked, which would make it outstanding; it could be so much better. In fact, the Royal is Tudor’s most paradoxical watch. The quality and wearability are good, some details are great, but the bezel and dial are both old fashioned and dull. Nevertheless, the Royal is, like nearly all Tudor watches, excellent value for money. Priced at about US$2,400, the Royal has an Oyster case that’s excellent in both construction, finish, and design. And it provides another alternative for those who want a solid Tudor watch that doesn’t look like a sports watch. The wide, flat face where it meets the bracelet is perhaps its most attractive feature The bracelet is a simple but robust construction that integrates well into the case And the watch wears well. Although the Day Date is wide at 41 mm (there are several smalle...

It’s been a great year for new watches, and one of the biggest contributors to this slew of attractive wristwatches is TAG Heuer, who continue their run of strong releases in 2020. The latest release from the La Chaux-de-Fonds watchmaker is the TAG Heuer Carrera Collection, adding another feather to the Carrera cap after the … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The TAG Heuer Carrera Collection appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Not one, but two new ways to smartwatch.

It cannot be refuted how much Switzerland has influenced horology and the luxury watch industry at large. As a result, designs across brands can seem familiar when they all draw from the same well of inspiration and technique. Bulgari, however, continues to stand out from the pack, blending its Swiss watchmaking know-how with its Italian … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Bulgari High-End Watch 2020 Novelties show the “jeweller of time” in absolutely top form appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

An '80s classic is reborn.

The Longines Heritage Military Marine Nationale stays true to the military watch from which it draws its inspiration, while meeting today’s aesthetic and technical requirements.

The Apple Watch has been a point of contention with watch collectors since its debut in April of 2015. When the dust settles from the rants and snobbery, one fact becomes clear – the Apple Watch is the most complicated piece of wristwear for the dollar in the entire world. The Apple Watch Series 6 … ContinuedThe post The 5 best new features of the new Apple Watch Series 6, including panda dials and GMT faces appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

URWERK’s latest addition to the UR-Satellite collection marks the independent brand use of carbon for the first time ever with the UR-220 “Falcon Project”

Urwerk has just revealed the next generation of its flagship wristwatch – the UR-220 “Falcon Project”. Retaining the same case shape and signature satellite-cube hour display as its predecessor, the UR-210, the “Falcon Project” is nonetheless an entirely different watch. The UR-220 is powered by a newly-developed movement that hand-wound, instead of automatic as before, and in a first for the brand, the case is made of carbon composite, matched with a rubber-carbon composite strap. Initial thoughts A landmark in avant-garde independent watchmaking for its three-dimensional wandering hours, the UR-201 evolved into the UR-203 and then the UR-210. The new UR-220 is an incremental improvement in the same vein, though a substantial one. I had hoped for a brand-new time display to succeed the satellite-cube indicator, but that is perhaps something for the distant future. Even though the UR-220 retains the same general aesthetic on the front, it is fundamentally different mechanically. The movement has been substantially reengineered – the base remains the Zenith Elite calibre in the UR-210 but now minus automatic mechanism – and now incorporates new functions like the cylindrical service indicator. It also sees the addition of a split power-reserve display, which Urwerk says was a complex mechanism requiring 83 parts. While that may be true, it feels unnecessary, except to give the face a symmetrical layout. But one of the most significant changes is the case mate...

Hublot re-introduces the original 1980 Hublot watch for the 21st century, in yellow gold, titanium and black ceramic (45mm) powered by an automatic movement.

Sotheby’s watch auction at the end of October will be headlined by a trio of historically important and highly complicated Breguet pocket watches that were all once owned by royalty, and then part of the David Salomons Breguet collection. The top lot will unquestionably be Breguet no. 2788, nicknamed “The Prince Regent’s Resonance”, an experimental 1818 watch with twin balance wheels operating on the principle of resonance. [Update October 27, 2020: The sale of watches from The Museum for Islamic Art will be postponed until sometime in November 2020, due to the museum having decided to rethink the deaccessioning of part of its collection.] The twin balance wheels of Breguet no. 2788 Given their hallowed provenance, the trio of Breguet watches being offered for sale is surprising, but perhaps in keeping with the times. Despite the golden age of pocket watch collecting having seemingly come to an end – or perhaps because of it – several important pocket watches have sold well in the last two years. Amongst the recent highlights is one of the oldest watches known, the 369-year old Cremsdorff preserved in mint condition, and the 20th century masterpiece by George Daniels. The majority of those came from the massive collection put together by the late Erivan Haub, a supermarket tycoon who was perhaps the most important collector of pocket watches in his day. Sotheby’s upcoming London auction, however, has a handful of exceptionally important pocket watches from...

84 finalists, 14 categories, but only one grand prize.

As most watch collectors will agree, there are few things better than getting a new watch in your collection. It’s the thrill of having a new watch on your wrist that you’ve been thinking about for weeks or months, and is the culmination of researching, considering and finally pulling the trigger on that special piece … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: The Rado Captain Cook, now with interchangeable straps gives you three for the price of one appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

A pioneer in independent watchmaking, Franck Muller was most famous for its graceful tonneau-shaped case but the brand was also particularly productive with complications in the 1990s and early 2000s. Amongst its most notable inventions were the double-face chronograph and whimsical Crazy Hours. But the brand’s technical creativity was present at the other end of utility spectrum as well – something exemplified by the Master Banker, a wristwatch unveiled in 1993 that boasted three separate time zones, each with independent hours and minutes. Now the watch has been given a new lease of life as the Cintrée Curvex Master Banker Asia Exclusive, that’s available in two case sizes, seven distinct colours, and various case materials, including steel, rose gold, and diamond-set rose gold. Initial thoughts Although powered by a humble ETA base movement, the Master Banker is a surprisingly accomplished complication, yet smartly constructed to be simple and robust. The time zone complication is practical for tracking times in multiple countries, but it is rarely instantly legible, especially when multiple time zones are displayed. With two largish sub-dials – each with their own hour and minute hands – the Master Banker solves the problem instantly. Not only is it legible, each of its sub-dials can be set to time zones with unconventional offsets – like 45 minutes for Kathmandu – allowing the watch to track any time zone in the world. The only downside of the display ...

Not only Martin Green thinks that a date has the power to swiftly ruin the appearance of a watch. But that didn't happen to Breguet's latest addition to the Tradition family, the smart Quantième Rétrograde 7597 with its clever new date function. See for yourself!

Some of our favorite offerings right in the sweet spot.

Black or white? Chanel's unique answer to the impossible question.

We bring you the details and our thoughts on the new Breguet Tradition Quantième Rétrograde 7597, the first Tradition timepiece with a date function.

Plus a look at last week's biggest watch drops.

Originally just a model name for the bestselling watch of the brand MDM (short for Montre des Montres), Hublot got off the ground with one of the “it” watches of the 1980s that a first in combining yellow gold with a rubber strap. The brand is now 40 years old and a global success thanks to a late-in-life rejuvenation. To commemorate the occasion – which chief executive Ricardo Guadalupe hinted at in January – the brand has unveiled the sleek and simple Classic Fusion 40 Years Anniversary modelled on the original Hublot wristwatch of 1980. Minimalist in style, the anniversary watch sticks to the restrained look of the maritime-inspired original – hublot is French for “porthole” – but is substantially larger to cater to modern tastes. And like the original it is available in 18k yellow gold – combining the precious metal and rubber was a novelty in 1980 – but also in titanium or black ceramic. The 1980 model in steel (left) and the anniversary edition Initial thoughts While modern-day Hublot watches are often maximalist and sometimes over the top, the anniversary Classic Fusion is the opposite, a look that works well with the case and bezel. The 1980 original was a compact, pared-back watch that was at odds with the fashionable watches of the era – think two-tone Cartier Santos or Ebel – and proof that less is more. The dial of the remake sticks closely to the original, with a white-on-black date that is a welcome improvement. But the addition of ...

Frederique Constant has updated and overhauled their Highlife line, which was originally created more than 20 years ago to bring a high-value horological offering to the consumer. Standard production models of this new lineup were recently launched in steel, gold-plated, and two-tone steel and gold-plated models - in both time and date only (Automatic COSC) and … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Frederique Constant Highlife RedBar Limited Editions sure are nice, and if you ain’t RedBar you can’t buy ’em (for now) appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Glashütte Original lives up to its name.

Last year’s debut of the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet was widely panned, with with most of the criticism centred on the dial that was widely regarded to be flat. That left the highlight of the new model to go unnoticed – a new case made up of an intriguing blend of geometric forms and intricate edges. Just after launching warmly-received variants with smoked dials (following last year’s Bolshoi edition in smoked-finish enamel), Audemars Piguet has taken the covers off the Code 11.59 Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph, which follows the aesthetic direction set by the record-setting Code 11.59 Tourbillon Openworked “Only Watch”. Initial thoughts Audemars Piguet did well in combining two classical complications – a flyback chronograph and flying tourbillon – in a surprisingly contemporary and slightly sporty watch, which owes its looks to the complementary movement and case design. The skeletonised movement echoes the clean, angular lines of the case and open-worked lugs. A newly-developed movement – and one seemingly designed from ground-up as a skeleton – the cal. 2952 is thoughtfully constructed with a neatly symmetrical layout. As important is the high-contrast finish that emphasises the skeletonisation, achieved with rhodium-plated bridges against a matte-black base plate. The styling of the watch addresses the key shortcoming of the original Code 11.59 – the plain dial – and allows the Code 11.59 to come into its own with a cohesive des...

I mean why own one or two Rolexes when you could have several dozen-” His voice trailed off before reaching back in the box, “...Kenneth Cole Reactions.” Read The Balance Cock Bugle for balanced horological news (probably).

[Satire] Zuckerberg comments, “That new blueberry Submariner kind of reminds me of our Facebook logo,” he remarked. “I think I’ll keep that one. All of that one. The ‘smurf’ too.” Read The Balance Cock Bugle for balanced horological news (probably).

If you’re a motoring enthusiast, you know that the glory is in the details. Few vehicle manufacturers latched onto this ethos as much as Italian companies did in the ’60s and ’70s, designing breathtaking, voluptuous bodywork, with the most luxurious interior touches. Whether it was seats, shift knobs, or the instrument cluster, everything had to … ContinuedThe post MICRO MONDAYS: The MAALS Giri Ventiquattro is the quirkiest and most creative automotive related watch we’ve seen this year appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.