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After several weeks of speculation, Breitling has made an official announcement that they have acquired Gallett, the Swiss watchmaker that traces its roots back to 1826. The news was first reported by Tony Traina and a small handful of other outlets back in February, but this is the first time Breitling has acknowledged the deal in a public way. Breitling had previously announced their acquisition of Universal Genéve in 2023, a move that immediately led many to wonder of Georges Kern, Breitling’s CEO, might be looking to make additional expansions to bolster his business. Now, with the Gallett acquisition, his plans and those of the Partners Group (the investment firm which has had a stake in Breitling since 2017) appear to be coming into focus.  “This acquisition is a natural next step in Breitling’s expansion,” Kern said in a statement. “We are reviving Gallett under the umbrella of Breitling’s expertise and craftsmanship. Our vision is long-term – reviving Gallett as a strong brand in watchmaking, while honoring its legacy and innovation in chronographs.”  Unlike watches in the upcoming Universal Genéve collection, it is expected that Gallett will be sold alongside Breitling in the brand’s boutiques and, presumably, other authorized channels. This will provide potential Breitling customers with a lower priced option and is something of a  tacit admission that the asking price of a new Breitling has crept up to a level that some new customers might...

Ushering in the latest generation of Citizen's Ana-Digi do-it-all sports watch.

Founded in 1983 by Gerd R. Lang in München, Germany, Chronoswiss quickly became the main advocate of the regulator display – it was, in fact, the first brand to release a serially-produced regulator wristwatch in 1987. Since then, the brand has launched watches with such a display in practically every possible form, ranging from traditional […]

Chronoswiss has been on an absolute tear over the past year with novel case designs and movements. Today, the transformative roll-out continues with the most distinct releases yet. The Pulse One models introduce an entirely new integrated case and bracelet design. I’ve been keenly paying attention to the rebirth of Chronoswiss. The brand has introduced […] Visit Introducing: The Chronoswiss Pulse One Sand And Blue to read the full article.

The M.A.D.Editions M.A.D.2 is finally here. This is, perhaps, the most inevitable release of the year. It’s like starting your series of space operas with “Episode IV,” you know that at some point V is coming (and, indeed, I-III, but we’ll save that conversation for another day). Following up one of the most discussed watches of the last few years is certainly no easy task, and the M.A.D.2 comes to market at a very different time than its predecessor, at least in terms of what’s desirable at the moment.  At this point, we all know the story: Max Büsser, in an effort to make something for his friends and collaborators who could likely never afford the high priced watches they helped him create, created a small batch of watches with an inverted rotor and an unusual time telling apparatus read from the side of the case. The M.A.D1 became a viral hit in the watch community, spawned a bunch of variants, and an improved “S” model just last year. Along the way, the M.A.D.Editions project became a brand unto itself, generating around 20% of MB&F;’s total revenue in 2024. And in the three short years since the first M.A.D.Editions watches appeared, the appetite for avant-garde and experimental designs at approachable price points has increased dramatically. In other words, M.A.D.Editions is no longer the only game in town (but they’re still the only affordable way to get a little bit of that Max DNA in a watch without spending tens of thousands of dollars, or mor...

Interesting new release from ArtyA featuring a claimed fully in-house caliber designed to be showcased in front of a full mirror on the dial side.

Richemont veteran executive Perrin will step down as head of Specialist Watchmakers to lead Panerai brand.

Thanks to the accomplished vintage design of its successful Millesime collection, Raymond Weil is emitting a stronger signal on the watchmaking radar. While the brand has been active since 1976, it really came to the fore with third-generation members of the founding Weil family and their winning bet on the Millesime. Determined to bring the […]

Charlotte Paulin is the founder of Paulin Watches, and Lewis Heath is the founder of anOrdain. At the same time, they are also husband and wife. Can you imagine the dinnertime conversations in that household? Or maybe they’re one of those couples who can keep work and private life perfectly separated. Anyway, their brands recently […] Visit From Scotland With Love: The Latest Artistic And Artisanal Watches From AnOrdain And Paulin to read the full article.

The decision has been made, the dollars have been saved. Time to buy a new watch. Only issue is, where to do it in Melbourne?The post Time+Tide City Watch Buying Guide – Melbourne appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

One of the badly kept secrets in Swiss watchmaking has just come true: Breitling has acquired Gallet. Backed by Swiss private equity firm Partners Group, Breitling has been slowly building itself into a group of brands. The Gallet acquisition comes a little over a year after Breitling took over Universal Genève. According to Breitling chief executive Georges Kern speaking to Fratello Watches, Gallet will be positioned in the sub-CHF3,000 range, topping out at CHF5,000. This puts its squarely in the segment of established brands like Tudor and Longines, which enjoy unparalleled economies of scale, as well as online-only micro brands that lack the overhead of established brands. The rationale of acquiring Gallet is clear. As Mr Kern mentions in his Fratello interview, it gives Breitling a stronger position vis a vis third-party retailers since the brand can now offer products across the price spectrum, with Universal Genève at the very top. This is particularly relevant as many brands owned by luxury groups like Richemont continue to withdraw from third-party retailers. Another factor that is left unsaid in the interview is the enlarged group presumably improves the odds of an exit for Breitling’s private-equity backers. Partners Group bought a majority stake in Breitling at end 2022 from CVC Capital, another private equity firm that bought Breitling in 2017. According to news reports at the time, CVC divested part of its Breitling stake at over five times the 2017 valua...

Welcome back to another episode of Fratello On Air. This week, we discuss our feelings about revitalized watch brands. The retro trend has been strong for over a decade, meaning that long-dormant names have been brought back to life. Are all successful? Enjoy one of our lengthiest episodes yet. For our listeners, the watch content […] Visit Fratello On Air: How We Feel About Revitalized Watch Brands to read the full article.

From our recent look into Pequignet, we learned the brand’s new vision. Now, the first timepiece offering a glimpse into the future of the company has arrived. It’s named the Royale Paris 39.5mm, it retains the impressive in-house movement of the brand, but it’s been tastefully redesigned with cleaner aesthetics. Soon to be unveiled at […]

Clear purpose and a presidential patron ensure enduring charm for Gallet.

I dare say there isn’t another site on the internet where you can find more in-depth articles about vintage Gallet watches. Following yesterday’s announcement about Breitling’s acquisition of the brand, we will briefly look at the most interesting Gallet watches ever produced. I made an effort and counted; over the last six years, I have […] Visit My Short List Of Gallet Watches You Might Consider Adding To Your Collection  to read the full article.

The stone dial and integrated bracelet trends are old hat - it's time for the quirkiness of the 1970s to come back.The post The best TV dial watches that might signal their glorious comeback appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Panerai chief executive Jean-Marc Pontroué has just revealed he’s stepping down in a post on his personal Instagram account. He took up the job almost exactly seven years ago, after six years as chief executive of Roger Dubuis and over a decade at Montblanc, where most notably he led the brand’s high-end watchmaking efforts (that were dialled back under subsequent managers). Mr Pontroué’s successor, effective April 1, will be Emmanuel Perrin, currently head of Specialist Watchmakers (SWM), essentially the watch division of Richemont, the Swiss luxury group that also owns Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels. According to insiders, SWM will continue to exist, but at a regional level, rather than the group-level entity it is now. Emmanuel Perrin Mr Pontroué landed at Panerai with big shoes to fill: his predecessor, Angelo Bonati, led the brand for over two decades, taking it from essentially nothing to one of the hottest brands in the 2000s. Panerai’s impressive momentum had begun to slow towards the end of Mr Bonati’s tenure, and despite his best efforts Mr Pontroué never managed to recapture the magic. Amongst the initiatives launched by Mr Pontroué at Panerai was sustainability in watchmaking materials and packaging, as well as a renewed engagement with Paneristi, the community of dedicated Panerai fans – underlined by historically inspired new launches coming in 2024. The brand’s direction will now be determined by Mr Perrin. During his spell leading SWM, Mr...

A reprise one of the greatest tales written within the pages of Revolution Magazines, this is the history of the Rolex Sea-Dweller.

The watch community can be a truly great thing, as every now and then it seems to embrace new ideas, new concepts, new people and brands with open arms. We’ve seen it happen in watches where the community can get involved in the design process, or with watch clubs bringing together brands and collectors. And […]

Omega has had a string of interesting releases since the white dialed Speedmaster became, if only for a minute, one of the hottest watches in the industry. That watch, released just about one year ago, set off a series of new product announcements that saw Omega embracing the watches and properties that make them one of the two or three most important brands in the world. They had, by all accounts, a great Olympics, and followed up a busy summer with a pair of enthusiast focused, Bond adjacent releases. They also gained quite a bit of traction with a new First Omega in Space and a well received (if expensive) Bronze Gold Seamaster. Omega was a brand that we had often talked about as being in something of a slump, but the last year saw them break out of that, at least somewhat. We’ll forgive them the Speedmaster Pilot. Last week, then, was like taking a time machine back just a few years, when the most exciting thing Omega could muster up was a collection of watches in different shades of blue. The new Seamaster Planet Ocean Worldtimer is a true mish-mash of ideas and spare parts, a huge watch that could only be produced by a brand of Omega’s gargantuan size.  Part of the Planet Ocean “Deep Black” sub-collection, these watches use the same 45.5mm platform. The case is a solid block of brushed ceramic and measures 18.99mm tall and 52.4mm from lug to lug. For anyone who mourns the era of the big watch, please point them this way.  The Worldtimer functionality is bor...

Putting the pop-up in pop-up book.

For the first time ever, the most elegant of travel complications finds a home in Omega's toughest collection.

How did this discreet piece of Gallic perfection reach icon status? Read on - the origin story of the Cartier Tank may surprise you.The post Why everyone from Muhammad Ali to Andy Warhol fell for the Cartier Tank appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

If you like your watches complicated and your timezones varied, chances are you’re already aware of the Seiko Astron GPS Solar line, first launched in 2012. No, the watch doesn’t shout haphazard driving directions at you. Instead, its latest models use GPS technology and a solar-sensitive dial to automatically update the time according to your geographic position up to twice a day. But Seiko wasn’t done there-almost exactly a year on from the introduction of the Caliber 5X83, the first pairing of Dual-Time tech with a chronograph function, Seiko has unleashed four new Astron GPS Solar Dual-Time Chronographs. Each of the four new watches-references SSH175, SSH177, SSH179 and limited-edition SSH180-features a titanium bezel with a sapphire crystal insert, adding a touch of practicality and elegance to the already robust profile of the Astron. An imposing 44mm mirror-polished titanium case houses the Caliber 5X83 movement, which promises a litany of advanced features, most prominent of which is the aforementioned GPS-controlled time and time zone adjustment. A world time function, perpetual calendar correct to the year 2100, automatic DST adjustment, AM/PM and signal reception indications, accuracy of +/- 15 seconds per month, and more round out the slate of functions. Of course, the titular chronographs also loom large on the dial, with a 1/20th second counter at 12 o’clock and a 12-hour counter with hours and minutes at 6 o’clock during chronograph operation...

For a brand that has consolidated its image on tool watches inspired by cockpit instruments, the choice of material forms an integral part of the identity of its watches. The BR-X5, the larger, more resilient, more radical brother of the BR-05 luxury sports watch, returns this year with a new lightweight titanium case. Still delivering […]

Reservoir releases a new retrograde jump hour watch with the playful charm of Popeye. in action mid-swing while playing golf.