Latest watch news · Page 430

This story all started with Daniel Craig…again! Indeed, many Omega stories do nowadays. The former on-screen secret agent wasn’t that secretive about wearing a new Omega Seamaster Diver 300M during the Paris Olympics earlier this year. As always, watch enthusiasts took notice, and that’s when the internet went crazy. It started the rumor mill that […] Visit Hands-On With The New Black Omega Seamaster Diver 300M to read the full article.

With the Overall Market Index now at a two-and-a-half year low, the broad-based nature of the declines across the market continues: Rolex prices are now also at a 30-month low, while Patek Philippe has hit a 26-month low, and Audemars Piguet is at a 27-month low.

The IWC Portugieser is one of the Schaffhausen brand’s most iconic models, and with a new lineup this year, we thought we would take the new Portugieser Chronograph ‘Dune’ out to see how it feels on the wrist. What We Love The watch’s ability to pair with most outfits The dial finishing is excellent, with the sunray finish looking stunning The design is timeless and won’t date easily What We Don’t The monochromatic coloured dial could use some contrast to aid with legibility The clasp is a little hard to open The lack of a date window gives it less functionality Overall Score: 8.6 / 10 Value for Money: 8/10 Wearability: 9/10 Design: 8.5/10 Build Quality: 9/10 2024 has been a stellar year for IWC Schaffhausen. They launched the new look Portugieser collection at Watches & Wonders 2024, which I felt was one of the best collections released at the fair this year. Whilst other brands focused their efforts on just a few models or high complications, IWC took the opportunity to re-vamp the entire line, with new colourways reflecting the times of the day and in steel and precious metals. They also had an epic soundtrack playing in their booth, which could be heard throughout the Palexpo, so it was almost as if IWC provided the soundtrack to Watches & Wonders 2024. They also released the Portugieser Eternal Calendar as part of this collection which was the brand’s contribution to the high-end pieces we saw throughout the fair, which then went on to break the Guin...

As many of you know, Robot is a brand offering high-quality Czech-made mechanical watches. The Minor, inspired by the Aero Minor racing car, is one of Robot’s most renowned models. Today, in a limited series of only 12 pieces, Robot introduces the Minor Arctic LE. This edition is a tribute to explorer František Běhounek, the […] Visit Introducing: The Robot Minor Arctic LE to read the full article.

The latest evolution of the Pelagos trades its fins for wings (or rotors?).

Seven months have passed since Oak & Oscar released its Atwood hand-wound chronograph. However, it seems that founder Chase Fancher and the team were already plotting the next model, the Humboldt GMT SAR Edition. To be fair, this is a limited offering designed with a search and rescue team in mind. However, it deserves attention […] Visit The New Oak & Oscar Humboldt GMT SAR Edition to read the full article.

On a new release calendar that’s full of limited edition collaborations that don’t always make a ton of logical sense, it’s refreshing to see one come across our desks that feels like a genuine meeting of the minds. Oak & Oscar is a longtime fixture in the micro/independent brand space, and at this point it’s fair to say that they’ve carved out a pretty recognizable niche for themselves. When you think of Oak & Oscar, you probably immediately think of the brand’s midwest roots, a love of the outdoors, and, of course, bourbon. Their latest release, a 50 piece limited collaboration with the St. Louis County Rescue Squad, combines at least two of these ideas, and the result is a handsome, sporty GMT that first right in Oak & Oscar’s wheelhouse.  For context, the St. Louis County Rescue Squad is made up of volunteers who provide lifesaving services to outdoor enthusiasts visiting northern Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). As Oak & Oscar explains, the BWCA is an “outdoor-lover’s dream,” featuring hiking trails, camping, canoeing, and more. Oak & Oscar became a member of the Boundary Waters Business Coalition in 2021, a sign of their commitment to the preservation of the BWCA. To that end, the new Humboldt GMT SAR Edition serves as a reminder of that commitment, as well as a means to help fund the efforts of the St. Louis County Rescue Squad (a portion of the proceeds from the sale of these watches will be donated to the Squad).  This new lim...

Fifteen years of Armin Strom… witnessing how far they have come in one-and-a-half decade is more than impressive. Claude Greisler and Serge Michel took over the watch business from Mr. Armin Strom, who had made a name for himself as a specialist in hand-skeletonizing. Claude and Serge had a different ambition: to put their own […]

One of the cool things about the Omega Speedmaster is that it can truly be just about any watch it needs to be. It’s the Moonwatch, of course, but it’s also a racing chronograph, a dressy chronograph, a chronograph inspired by WWII era military watches, and it can even be a plastic toy. That, I think, is what makes it “iconic,” an overused word if there ever was one in our trade, but one that nonetheless applies perfectly to the Speedmaster. It’s also, from time to time, a pilot’s watch, and Omega’s newest release, part of a late-in-the-year drip of new product that has the brand positioned as one of the big winners of 2024, is a Speedmaster that is purpose built for the skies in a way we rarely see the Speedy outside of Omega’s quartz offerings.  The new Speedmaster Pilot, as it is known, has been the subject of speculation for much of this year. Leaked images of the watch on the wrist of US military pilots generated a great deal of discussion on the forums and Instagram, and our friends at Fratello provided a great overview of everything that was known about the Speedmaster “Flight Qualified” back in September. That watch (the one seen in the leaked images) appears to be made for military personnel only. The one seen here can be thought of as the civilian version. It differs somewhat in aesthetic details, but in terms of specs and features it appears to be identical, and offers its own unique Speedy experience.  This is a two register Speedmaster wi...

It's a chronograph! It's an espresso timer! It's... Super Metric!

Over the years, my feelings about Nomos have become more and more complex. Like many enthusiasts, the brand was an early discovery on the forums, and felt like an insider’s secret of sorts. Here was a small firm based in the historic German watchmaking community of Glashitte making interesting, immediately identifiable watches with in-house components at an approachable price point – Nomos felt like the primary counter example to the purists who insisted you had to spend well into the five figures for real watchmaking. In recent years, the brand has grown considerably, radically expanding their catalog to include a variety of sportier references in larger sizes, as well as widely proliferating their excellent ultra thin automatic in-house movement throughout their collection.  Watches made by Nomos are objectively good. They are well designed, attractive, colorful (or not) and made to exacting standards that ensure they can be treated like the heirlooms the brand has always implied they are through the suggestion that engraving an important message on the caseback is part of the Nomos experience. But Nomos, in comparison with other brands most would identify as their peers, have been treading water in terms of the introduction of new products. Is that a fair criticism? It might not be. After all, if a Nomos (or any watch) is meant to be a purchase that stays with the owner (or the eventual recipient) for decades, constantly releasing new watches to keep up with a manu...

It is not quite a Flightmaster, but it is flight-tested and now here for civilians and military pilots alike.

While the Speedmaster started its life as a racing chronograph destined to measure average speeds (hence its name), it quickly changed vocation when, during the 1960s, it became the watch of choice for US Air Force pilots and, of course, NASA astronauts. From there, the Speedmaster became one of the most famous pilot’s chronographs and […]

A new Speedmaster from Omega is dedicated to pilots with colourful features anyone who works in a cockpit will recognise.The post Omega launches the Speedmaster Pilot to the public – no pilot’s license required appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

We had the Rudis Sylva RS14 Titane on hand for the best part of the month, and here is our in-depth comprehensive review of this amazing watch.

The Unitas, known under the names ETA 6498 and 6497 (depending on its configuration, Lépine or Savonette), is without a doubt one of the most important and most long-lasting movements of the Swiss industry. This simple, no-nonsense but reliable hand-wound movement has been produced since the 1950s, yet originates from classic pocket watch calibres. Often […]

It’s here! The Speedmaster Pilot Flight Qualified debuted as a pilot-only watch a few months ago, but Omega decided to make a slightly different version available for people like you (assuming you aren’t a US military pilot) and me. Originally for US military pilots At the end of September, we showed you the US military […] Visit Hands-On With The Omega Speedmaster Pilot Flight Qualified [With Video] to read the full article.

High-end chronograph movements of today tend to have in common a vertical clutch and column wheel. Such “performance” chronographs are typically also automatic, and practically every high-end watchmaker, from Audemars Piguet to Vacheron Constantin, has its own take on the modern “performance” chronograph. The chronograph movement as we know it today is actually a fairly recent invention. Despite being common in today’s chronograph constructions, the vertical coupling, or at least its concept, is decades-old. The Pierce cal. 130/134 launched in the 1930s is regarded as the first commercially available wristwatch with a vertical clutch. There are examples of even older stopwatches that relied on crude forms of the vertical clutch, but most were either prototypes or small-batch production. But the large-scale use of the vertical clutch only started in the late 1960s, when Seiko debuted the cal. 6139. Launched in 1969, the Seiko cal. 6139 was a vertical clutch movement produced on an industrial scale. Not only was it among the first-ever automatic chronographs, but the cal. 6139 also was objectively the most advanced amongst them. Compared to the modular construction of the Breitling-Heuer Chronomatic Caliber 11 and the fairly classical architecture of the Zenith El Primero, the Seiko cal. 6139 was endowed with a vertical clutch and a novel construction all around. It was, however, an industrial, no-frills movement at heart. The one that started it all – the cal. ...

Zenith has given its 1/100th-of-a-second El Primero 21 an unusual attire – pusher protectors and a dodecagonal bezel in tiger’s eye mineral stone. Matched with a dial featuring tiger stripes and green accents, the Defy Extreme Jungle retains the trademark double balance wheels of the model. The movement features a conventional timekeeping balance operating at 36,000 beats per hour (5 Hz), and a smaller regulator for the chronograph that beats 10 times as fast, 360,000 beats per hour or 50 Hz, enabling the chronograph to record times with a resolution of up to to 1/100th of a second. Initial thoughts I have long thought that the Defy Extreme was too similar to other, more famous oversized sports chronographs, that is, until I actually got to try on the Defy Extreme Jungle in person. The new Defy still evokes other designs, but it is finely executed, with the minerals stone inlay being notably well done. At the same time, the tiger’s eye elements add some originality to the design, so this easily stands out as the most interesting model in the Defy line. The tiger’s eye components, especially since they are prominently positioned, are likely more fragile than the same on the equivalent titanium model, but they add texture and colour so are arguably worth the sacrifice of practicality. At US$26,900, the Defy Extreme Jungle is pricier than the average Zenith chronograph, but still a reasonable proposition given the exotic material and 1/100th of a second movement. Tige...

Unique pieces in unique case materials are the topic of ArtyA's latest chronograph release, the Gears collection.The post The ArtyA Gears collection brings bespoke, unique pieces for under $20k appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Welcome to another edition of Fratello On Air! This week, we’re back with a lengthy episode to see you through holiday travels or unruly guests. We received a listener suggestion to discuss our favorite watches from the ’90s and ’00s. We’ve added the ’10s to the mix as a bonus. Wait 20 minutes for the […] Visit Fratello On Air: Our Favorite Watches From The ’90s, ’00s, And ’10s to read the full article.

Whenever I read the word “icefall,” my mind wanders to climbing Mount Everest. To reach the top of the world on the Nepal side of the mountain, you must pass the Khumbu Icefall early on to reach Camp 1. It’s a notoriously dangerous start to your journey to the summit. This is part of the […] Visit Hands-On With The Colorfully Elegant Grand Seiko SBGH349 “Icefall” In Titanium to read the full article.