Latest watch news · Page 1558

Rado show the transparency of its creative soul with this new slim, artsy and technical timepiece.

Launched at Baselworld last year, the Seiko Prospex LX is a series of solidly-engineered sports watches conceived for air, land and sea – and designed in collaboration with Ken Okuyama, once the Creative Director at Pininfarina and one of Japan’s most prolific car designers. Powered by Seiko’s trademark Spring Drive movement, the Prospex LX Limited Edition SNR045 retains the familiar design modelled on the Seiko 1968 Hi-beat Diver, but now dressed in green. The textured dial is inspired by an underwater forest of moss pillars – nicknamed “kokebozu”, or “moss child”, by Japanese scientists – located at the bottom of a lake in Antarctica’s Skarvsnes Foreland. The “kokebozu” moss pillars in Antarctica Initial thoughts With both its dial and glossy ceramic bezel in forest green, the watch is immediately striking – and reminiscent of well-known, hulking green dive watch. The all-green dive watch is fashionable now, and Seiko is one amongst a host of brands doing it, so the colour is not unique. But Seiko executes its watches well – quality is excellent inside and out – and excels in highly-functional dive watches that perform well in legibility and usability. That sets this apart from the competition. As a sucker for textured dials, the ribbed dial pattern – meant to evoke the aquatic moss pillars – is highly appealing. It adds depth and character to what is otherwise a no-nonsense “tool” watch. I am not a fan of the power reserve in...

Just in time for summer, a new sport watch and resort wear collection.

Reviewing 4 products from Uncle Seiko: 2 rubber straps and 2 bracelets. Is all the hype worth it? Is there truly a king of aftermarket Seiko straps?

If you’re a regular reader of Time+Tide, it should come as no surprise that the Longines Heritage Collection has gone from strength to strength over the last few years. An early sign of the success that was to come was the Longines Heritage Diver 1967 in 2015 (a watch that was kindly donated to the Time+Tide … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: The 2020 Longines Heritage Collection is pure class, from the tuxedo to the skies and the trenches appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The rise of Brunello has been recent. And, arguably, the single most convincingly 100 percent Brunello example of fine wine is Soldera at Case Basse according to Ken Gargett and other wine experts. But Soldera and the region have a dramatic background, one that might not be common knowledge outside Tuscany. Read on for a Hollywood script-worthy story and mouthwatering descriptions of Super Tuscan wines you may not (yet) be acquainted with.

One of the brightest and most dynamic minds in the world of watchmaking, Aldis Hodge, has been appointed as a Trustee of the Horological Society of New York today. His is a name that should be well known to Time+Tide readers, through his interview with Andrew McUtchen in the latest edition of NOW Magazine (of … ContinuedThe post Renaissance Man Aldis Hodge is appointed to America’s oldest watchmaking guild HSNY appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Can the Barry Jones Submariner be brought back to life?

The evergreen and ever popular TAG Heuer Carrara gets a refresh with a new design and now equipped with the Caliber Heuer 02 Automatic.

Swiss watchmaking conglomerate Swatch Group just announced its half-year 2020 results and unsurprisingly, it took a huge hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the group, which owns brands like Omega and Longines, had a good start in January with an operating margin of 17.3% – with the watch and jewellery brands performing a bit better than movement- and component-production division – the lockdown progressively imposed across the world since February severely impacted sales, leading to a steep declines in revenue and half-year operating loss, a first for the group. Group sales for the first half plunged 43.4% at constant exchange rates from a year earlier, resulting in an operating loss of CHF327m, compared to a profit of CHF547m for the same period in 2019. Most of the drop in sales was attributed to the lockdowns in most countries, resulting in widespread store closures. The Swatch Group saw up to 80% of both its own boutiques and third-party retailers close, meaning it had to rely on partially “partially feasible” e-commerce. And even after lockdowns were lifted, the group permanently vacated some of its retail space, as evidenced by disputes with its former landlord in Hong Kong, which has sued the Swatch Group for several million in allegedly unpaid rent. Due to its swiftly-streamlining retail network, the group’s employee count was trimmed by 6.5% since December 2019 to approximately 33,700 employees. This was also confirmed by anecdotal evidence fro...

Unveiled in 2015, the ref. 5370P-001 was Patek Philippe’s second split-seconds chronograph powered by an in-house caliber, after the watches equipped the smaller, slimmer, and far more expensive CHR 27-525 movement. With a black grand feu enamel dial featuring Breguet numerals that gave it an eminently classical style, the ref. 5370P was a hit with fans of the brand. Now the black-dial ref. 5370P has been discontinued and replaced by the Split-Seconds Chronograph Ref. 5370P-011. The new model is identical – with the same CHR 29-535 PS inside a 41 mm platinum case – except for the dial, which is now grand feu enamel in a stunning blue. Initial thoughts Like many others, I am a huge fan of the 2015 original for its balanced, restrained design that is also eminently legible and clear. As a fan of Patek Philippe’s traditional designs, the watch was also appealing for the design lineage that can be traced to Patek Philippe watches of the mid-20th century. While the original is compelling for its vintage cues, the new version feels more modern with the blue enamel dial. As a colour that’s been in vogue for a couple of years, the new dial transforms the personality of the watch into one that is more contemporary. While this facelift will undoubtedly be popular because blue dials are the colour du jour, I still have a preference for the original as the black enamel dial was more understated and in keeping with the brand’s historical designs. Precious materials Being...

Originally introduced as the 12-piece limited edition ref. 5303R-010 for the Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition Singapore 2019, the Minute Repeater Tourbillon was a unique watch amongst the brand’s grand complications. It combined an open dial, partially-skeletonised movement equipped with a minute repeater and tourbillon, within a case with contrast-colour gold inlays. Now the reference has entered the catalogue as a regular-production model with the Minute Repeater Tourbillon Ref. 5303R-001. Initial thoughts When first debuted during the Grand Exhibition in Singapore, the ref. 5303R was polarising but popular. Traditionalists who favour the old-school Patek Philippe style (think Breguet numerals and leaf hands) didn’t appreciate it, but those who wanted something more contemporary or unusual loved it. Initially I though the look was too much, but came to appreciate it, especially in the context of a Patek Philippe collector who already has several watches. This looks different, while still having all of the key features that make it appealing, namely the excellent minute repeater sound and the “octopus” wheel on the back. Skeletonised and inlaid The key features of the new watch are identical to the Singapore edition. The movement is the Cal. R TO 27 PS, featuring both a minute repeater with cathedral gongs and tourbillon. Both the complications are visible on the dial, with the hammers and racks exposed at 11 o’clock, and the gongs circling the dial. Th...

After an extended absence, Patek Philippe’s signature perpetual calendar chronograph is once again available in yellow gold with the Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 5270J-001. The new watch joins the platinum and rose gold versions currently in the catalogue, and is the first perpetual calendar chronograph in yellow gold since the ref. 5970J was discontinued in 2009. Initial thoughts The very first Patek Philippe perpetual calendar chronograph powered by an in-house movement, the ref. 5270 was introduced in 2011 but remains under appreciated, primarily because it isn’t one of the earlier perpetual calendar chronograph that are regarded as “iconic” (namely the refs. 5970, 3970, 2499 and 1518). But the ref. 5270 is excellent, or at least very good, in most tangible aspects. It’s a well-made watch with a smartly-constructed, modern movement inside robust-yet-elegant case of that sort that Patek Philippe excels at. And functionally it is also excellent, especially with the slightly larger calendar windows. Admittedly the movement finishing is not quite artisanal, but it is on par with other high-end brands that produce watches in substantial numbers, like Vacheron Constantin and Audemars Piguet. It does costs more than what the competition charges for an equivalent watch, but the value of the Patek Philippe brand is tremendous. The ref. 5270J adds the option of a far more classical look to the line up. The combination of a silver dial and yellow gold case is the ...

The heir to an estimable legacy makes its yellow-gold debut.

A classic Patek caliber is reworked to become a museum on the wrist.

Some new blue for Patek, too.

Launched three years after the Portugieser rattrapante chronograph of 1995, the first-generation Portugieser Chronograph ref. 3714 combined straightforward good looks, excellent dimensions and an affordable price. Unsurprisingly it was resoundingly popular, and a bestseller for over 20 years. Apart from an upmarket spin-off, the ref. 3903 with the in-house cal. 89361 – that was not quite a success due to a size and price – the ref. 3714 remained virtually unchanged since inception except for a new dial colour every so often. The movement within also remained the same over its two-decade production run – the cal. 79350, a gently upgraded Valjoux 7750. Then in 2018, IWC offered the first glimpse of the future when the brand celebrated its 150th anniversary. Amongst the commemorative editions was the Portugieser Chronograph Edition 150 Years ref. 3716, near identical to the ref. 3714 but powered by the in-house cal. 69355. Now the Portugieser Chronograph 3716 has officially joined the catalogue as a regular-production model, replacing the venerable ref. 3714. The ref. 3716 in the classic gold-on-silver guise The ref. 3716 in burgundy Initial thoughts The new Portugieser Chronograph ref. 3716 is essentially a ref. 3714 with a superior, in-house movement. If you liked the original, you will definitely like the ref. 3716. Importantly, the ref. 3716 6 is a good value proposition. It’s priced at less than 5% over the original, a modest and entirely reasonable increase....

From A. Lange & Söhne, we’ve learned never to predict what might be next. In this clip from our Watch Fair & Chill coverage of Watches & Wonders 2020, you’ll see exactly what we mean. When a wristwatch can cost as much as a house or a McLaren supercar, there are a certain amount of … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: A closer look at the 2020 A. Lange & Söhne collection, including a more toned Odysseus appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

When Martin Green first saw athe Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute Tiger he thought that Jaquet Droz had used a photorealistic print on the dial, so real was the miniature enamel painting for him. The artist focused on the eyes of the tiger, and its gaze is so lifelike and filled with restrained power that it is almost scary. It looks like it’s about to pounce right off the dial!

Despite a crazy year, complicated watchmaking keeps on ticking.

The watch with claws in a bigger and bolder case.

Watch collecting doesn’t exactly make a whole lotta sense - most of the time. What we can be sure of as watch collectors is that watch collecting, at the very least, elicits happiness in some way. Why is that?

Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Ref. 5205G-013 Patek Philippe is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious watchmaking firms today. This much deserved reputation is thanks – in no small part – to its rich, productive history. The manufacture not only boasts a long list of distinguished patrons, it is also responsible for numerous inventionsRead More

A milestone year for Grand Seiko brings about reflection and renewal for their 60th Anniversary.