Latest watch news · Page 27

In watchmaking, pretty much every complication started with the quest for a solution to a common problem. The tourbillon solved the influence of gravity on the balance spring, the chronograph provided the ability to time events as they happened, and repeater watches served as an audible timepiece for when the lights went down. Perhaps above […]

Since 2024, Awake has built a strong following with its Sơn Mài dials. These time-intensive creations layer Vietnamese lacquer over silver leaf and natural pigments. Last year, the Frosted Leaf technique debuted and won two awards, including first prize in the Jewellery and Artistic Crafts category at the Timepiece World Awards 2025. The brand now […] Visit Harnessing Nature: The Awake Sơn Mài Frosted Leaf Blood Moon, Storm, And Lagoon to read the full article.

Of the three new models released at Watches and Wonders, I believe there is more joy to be found in the simplest of them.

It’s Sunday morning, which means it’s time for another installment of Sunday Morning Showdown. This week, we’re pitting two affordable daily wearers against each other. They represent different sides of the watchmaking world, with one hailing from Switzerland and the other from Japan. But both brands have gained a lot of respect from watch enthusiasts […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Orient Star Sakigake Three Hand Vs. Tissot Gentleman 38mm to read the full article.

This past week has been one for the ages. Rolex announces an annual calendar carrying an official nickname for the first time, Blancpain releases one of the smallest mechanical movements to date, and Grand Seiko brings back Arabic numerals after 25 years. There’s plenty more too, spanning other all sort of styles and budgets with … Continued

Pocket watches were born in the early 16th century in Germany (Nuremberg eggs) but were very expensive, handmade curiosities that kept horrible time and were composed of components unique to each piece. Replacement parts had to be custom-made, and manufacturing times were long – it could take a year to produce a single watch. This dynamic […]

J. Press’ Vintage Watches New York Fashion Week wrapped this week, and I was lucky enough to attend a few shows, most notably J. Press, which is now under Jack Carlson’s leaderhsip. From my front-row seat, there was plenty to take in, from the Fall-Winter 2026 collection and the debut of J. Press womenswear to John Slattery from Mad Men sitting across the runway from me. But once the show started, I was more focused on the models’ wrists than anything else. For the show, Jack Carlson worked with Eric Wind and Wind Vintage, who brought a collection of 50 vintage watches to New York for Carlson to choose from. Pieces from Rolex, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Heuer, Universal Genève, Tudor, and Dunhill found their way onto the runway, selected and paired with looks throughout the collection. Now showing his second season, Carlson’s vision for the brand is coming into focus, where his knack for worldbuilding and getting the fine details perfected continue to shine through. Insta360 Luna Pro I’m going to be 35 years old in two weeks and, I have to tell you, thank God I’m not any younger. I grew up at the perfect time for being online. While I’m not a digital native, I’d say I’m a digital green card holder. I’ve been online long enough to understand the lingo, but I didn’t grow up completely immersed in the culture. Had I been, I definitely would have had a YouTube channel. And an embarrassing one at that. I would have sung on there (à la Millie Bobby Brown), tried m...

De Bethune returns to the world of digital timekeeping with the new DB25 Digitale, bringing its distinctive jumping-hours display into the DB25 collection.

Auret’s inaugural collection, Mederi, gives the brand a personal starting point. Auret is a new name in watchmaking, but its idea is far more human than your usual “here’s our first watch.” The brand was founded in Colombia by an oncologist and watch enthusiast, with the concept built around a pretty simple observation: time is […] Visit Auret Debuts With The Mederi Collection — Swiss Heart, Colombian Soul to read the full article.

If you’re anything like us, you’ll feel more connected (pun intended) to something analogue instead of something digital. A mechanical watch, to us and no doubt many of you, simply feels like it has character, a soul. By extension, the same can be said for cars, with EVs often referred to as dull kitchen appliances […]

When it comes to vintage-inspired modern timepieces, especially the dressier ones, Furlan Marri has made a name for itself as a purveyor of great timepieces inspired by the best vintage references of the 20th century. It could be easy to lean into various watch tropes, but Furlan Marri balances a mix of influences while injecting … Continued

Arctic surfing — why not? And why not do it in style? Charlie, a small independent watch brand from Paris, adds five updated Concordia GMT watches to its lineup, and not only are they adventure-proof, but they also have a certain je ne sais quoi flair. It must be the subtle dial colors of the […] Visit Bone-Chilling News: Charlie Adds Five Updated Concordia GMT Watches To Its Lineup to read the full article.

If wearing the Straum Expedition on and off for the last few weeks has reminded me of anything, it's this: It's been a little too long since I last had a good outdoor adventure. For me, 2025 was a year all about getting outside. So far, 2026 hasn't been. That's not necessarily a bad thing — I've sated my need for adventure in other ways this year, and I have found a few days here and there to climb a small mountain or two — but it is a thing, and the new Expedition from Straum has been a definite reminder of that, because this is a watch that's all about getting outside. To me, a watch's success comes down largely to intent. Put another way, does the execution of a watch line up with the story it's trying to tell? It's a harder needle to thread than you might expect, but when a brand gets the balance right, it's magic. Still, I do recognize that wearing a watch, especially a mechanical watch, in 2026 is largely an emotional affect, and most people don't actually need their watches to live up to the promise on the tin. That might help explain why there are so many "dive watches" on the market with minimal water resistance, or why I see so many people on the subway wearing fashion watches with fake pushers and subdials that seem to do nothing. And that's what makes a watch like the Straum Expedition so special—it is exactly what the brand claims it is. A (Very) Brief Primer On Straum If you already know Straum, it's probably thanks to the Jan Mayen. While the Jan Mayen...

Think about where we are in watchmaking in 2026. You could argue, pretty reasonably I think, that the problem of chronometry has basically been solved. We have access to mechanical watches that are accurate to seconds per month, and quartz watches that are accurate to seconds per year. There are advancements around the edges (Grand Seiko’s new U.F.A. movement comes to mind, the most accurate watch powered by a mainspring, accurate to 20 seconds per year), but it’s hard to imagine an advancement in timekeeping at this point that would actually be meaningful in our daily lives. For movement geeks, sure, shaving off seconds here and there will always be a fun new development, but for many we’ve reached a point of diminishing returns, where all that really matters are bragging rights by the brands (and those matter a lot – big marketing campaigns are built around them).  So where do the advancements come from in the years ahead? Many people with a lot more experience in this industry than me have discussed materials science as the next big step for watch brands, and we’ve certainly seen a lot of alternative materials used in cases and movements over the last few years. Once you go beyond the traditional steel, titanium, and precious metals that watch cases are normally made from, you open yourself up to manufacturing and creative options that are typically encountered across other industries, like the aerospace sector and medical manufacturing.  The UK based brand ...

Congrats on making it through another week, Baller, and your reward, sadly, is not more information about an extraordinary new Rolex, nor is it a pretty fantastic video with a legendary rapper, but instead just a quick roundup of some excellent watches out waiting for new owners. Scorekeeping last week's picks, the Smiths DeLuxe sold for 6,000 GBP, the Smiths W10 for €1,400, the Gübelin 18k triple-date moonphase remains available, the Universal Genève FS went for 600 GBP, and the Autavias sells today. Strays Photo courtesy of Drouot. If you've been holding onto an old steel chronograph pusher cap and don't know the case it works with, maybe have a look at this Heuer chronograph (presumably ref. 2444) and consider the JLC Memovox in the same lot an added bonus. Speaking of Memovox (I'm not guessing the plural of that noun), this sure checks a few boxes should you find yourself in the market for a lovely vintage example. I covered a Hamilton Cross Country a few weeks back, and here's a similar example if that one managed to get its hooks in you. For the Beatles mega-fan in your life, this Old England Apple watch is unlikely to be something they've seen (it's also unlikely to sell for less than 3x the €200 high estimate). This Vacheron Constantin 2045 is just lovely; this Corum bears a shocking resemblance to David Bowie's 1979 SNL performance look, and if there's a cooler tropicalized Carrera up for auction this week than this one, I didn't see it. Omega Suverän You'r...

A Cartier Cheich, a rare wristwatch awarded as a prize to consecutive Paris-Dakar Rally winners, sold for a record $3.4 million in Hong Kong, becoming the most expensive Cartier wristwatch sold at auction. The record price underscores the surging interest among collectors and speculators for rare models and designs by the Paris-based watch and jewelry maison. One of only five known examples of the Cheich, the watch was produced by Cartier as a one-off, unique piece in 2010, cased in white gold and powered by a quartz movement.  Sold by Sotheby's on the first day of its 'Important Watches' auction in Hong Kong on Friday, the watch spurred a nine-minute bidding war with online, telephone and in-person bidders pushing the price to HK$26,520,000 including fees or about $3,413,124, Sotheby's said in a statement. The result eclipses the $2 million paid for a London Cartier Crash from 1991 at Christie's Geneva auction in May. That watch bested another Crash sold by Sotheby's just weeks before for about $1.99 million.  Cartier Cheich in white gold sold for about $3.4 million at Sotheby's Hong Kong auction.Image: Sotheby's Founded in 1978 by motorcycle racer Thierry Sabine, the Paris-Dakar Rally was a legendary motor sports race of endurance, navigation and mechanical engineering, spanning some 10,000 kilometers (6,214 miles) from the French capital across the Sahara desert to Dakar, Senegal. An early sponsor of the race, Cartier and the brand's then-president, Alain-Dominique P...

Having recently unveiled a unique burgundy chronograph to benefit the Fondation Prince Albert II De Monaco, F.P. Journe is back with the unique Chronomètre Furtif ICM that will be auctioned later this month to support the work of the Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinièhe (ICM), better known internationally as the Paris Brain Institute. The black enamel dial of the CF ICM. Image – F.P. Journe Initial thoughts F.P. Journe is a watchmaker at the height of its market influence, so its nice to see the brand use its considerable power to continue its longstanding practice of contributing to worthwhile causes. ICM was founded by former FIA president Jean Todt, a longtime friend of François-Paul Journe who also informed the concept behind the Centigraphe. The unique Centigraphe from 2016 featured a blue mother-of-pearl dial with the ICM logo at 12 o’clock. Image – F.P. Journe The Geneva-based watchmaker was the ICM’s first private donor, and has contributed significantly over the past two decades. The brand’s first contributions arrived in 2004 by way of a trio of unique Vagabondage watches auctioned by Antiquorum. The three lots hammered for between CHF63,250 and CHF80,500, with all proceeds going to ICM. A unique Centigraphe was produced for the charity in 2016, when it hammered for the equivalent of about US$136,000 at the time. An impressive sum for that era, but a number that highlights just how much demand for independent watchmaking — and F.P. Journe ...

Having recently unveiled a unique burgundy chronograph to benefit the Fondation Prince Albert II De Monaco, F.P. Journe is back with the unique Chronomètre Furtif ICM that will be auctioned later this month to support the work of the Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinièhe (ICM), better known internationally as the Paris Brain Institute. The black enamel dial of the CF ICM. Image – F.P. Journe Initial thoughts F.P. Journe is a watchmaker at the height of its market influence, so its nice to see the brand use its considerable power to continue its longstanding practice of contributing to worthwhile causes. ICM was founded by former FIA president Jean Todt, a longtime friend of François-Paul Journe who also informed the concept behind the Centigraphe. The unique Centigraphe from 2016 featured a blue mother-of-pearl dial with the ICM logo at 12 o’clock. Image – F.P. Journe The Geneva-based watchmaker was the ICM’s first private donor, and has contributed significantly over the past two decades. The brand’s first contributions arrived in 2004 by way of a trio of unique Vagabondage watches auctioned by Antiquorum. The three lots hammered for between CHF63,250 and CHF80,500, with all proceeds going to ICM. A unique Centigraphe was produced for the charity in 2016, when it hammered for the equivalent of about US$136,000 at the time. An impressive sum for that era, but a number that highlights just how much demand for independent watchmaking — and F.P. Journe ...

First presented in 2015, the Tudor North Flag was an important watch for the brand. It introduced a new design, drawing on the angular, exploration-inspired character of the 1970s Ranger II, but its real significance was mechanical: it was the first Tudor fitted with a manufacture movement (calibre MT5621), itself the first Tudor movement visible […]