Latest watch news · Page 53

IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph 41 watch with a new, 2026 collaboration with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. Here is our hands on detailed review.

Awake is adding three new versions to its Son Mai collection, with Frosted Leaf Storm, Blood Moon, and Lagoon variants. The Frosted Leaf first appeared in 2025 with blue, green, and moka dials, followed by the Royal Red and Royal Blue versions, each with its own take on the lacquer work. It also gave the […]

There are few periods in history that shaped Britain’s identity quite like the 1960s. It was a decade when the country seemed to lead the world in music, fashion and design. Jaguar E-Types, Triumph Bonnevilles, and Mini Coopers became rolling icons of British style, while Lambrettas and Vespas filled Carnaby Street as the Mod movement … Continued

Geneva Watch Days returns September 2nd–6th, 2026, bringing 71 independent watchmaking maisons to Geneva for five days of presentations, exhibitions, discussions, and events. Now in its seventh and biggest edition yet, GWD retains its decentralized format, with brands presenting from individual showrooms across the city. The Pavilion and Blue Box provide two central locations for […] Visit Geneva Watch Days 2026: The Biggest One Yet to read the full article.

While Tiffany is mostly known for its emblematic blue colour and its high-end jewellery, the NYC-based brand has been involved in watchmaking for much longer than most would expect. For instance, Tiffany introduced its first chronograph, back then a pocket watch, of course, back in 1866. Earlier this year, to celebrate the 160th anniversary of […]

Best known for its affordable watches with fired enamel dials, Anordain is diversifying its offerings with the Model 1 Porcelain. Sporting a traditional porcelain dial, the new Model 1 showcases a brand-new, custom font that’s a twist on the traditional Breguet style, reflecting the brand’s focus on the finer details of design. Beyond a new design direction for the Scotland-based Anordain, the Model 1 is also represents a scaling up of its business. While the porcelain dial is made the old fashion way – painted by hand with a clay-based mixture – it can be produced at a higher rate than Anordain’s enamel dials, making the new Model 1 accessible both in terms of price and availability. Initial thoughts The Model 1 Porcelain is interesting from a business perspective. It underlines Anordain’s growth, as well as the brand’s strategy for dealing with its growth. Scaling up production sizeably while still preserving its speciality of traditional, artisanal-type dials is a prudent approach that maintains the brand’s identity. The Model 1 Porcelain, however, is not an industrial product. Rather, it retains the quirky character typical of Anordain’s watches. The watch is still typical Anordain with its clean design and thoughtful details. The dial and typography are appealing, especially with accents like the five-minute numerals and railway-like minute scale. The seemingly mismatched hands leave me with mixed feelings, but the whole is still attractive. The opti...

The new Tiffany Timer Titanium Platinum watch celebrates 160 years since the introduction of Tiffany & Co.’s first chronograph: the 1866 Timing Watch. It features a 40mm satin-brushed titanium case, a polished platinum bezel, and signature Tiffany Blue dial accents. The watch is powered by a customised Zenith El Primero 400 movement topped with the … Continued

Tom gets hands-on with the Christopher Ward C60 Trident Biscay, a 1960s-inspired dive watch collection in steel and marine-grade bronze.

Formex is giving its best-selling, compact Essence 39mm a refresh, bringing in technical and ergonomic improvements. The 39mm Essence was first showcased in 2020 as the smaller sibling to the original 43mm model, and we have since seen it in everything from the regular collection to the meteorite-dial Essence 39 Space Gold and wine-toned Gamaret. […]

Every time anOrdain announces a new release, I sit up and listen carefully. Over the past decade, the Scottish brand has made a name for itself for creating some of the absolute best dials in the industry. The craftsmanship and creativity in every new release are almost second to none. In-house typography designer Imogen Ayres […] Visit True Craftsmanship Takes Center Stage: The AnOrdain Model 1 Porcelain With Numerals By Kia Tasbihgou to read the full article.

The Formex Essence Automatic COSC 39mm is a clear example of watch evolution. It’s proof that progress is less about changing the design than refining what is already there. The 39mm case, its proportions, design, and overall presence on the wrist remain unchanged. Why change a winning “team” when the 39mm Essence is the brand’s […] Visit Getting To The Core: The Updated Formex Essence Automatic COSC 39mm to read the full article.

Microbrands have come a long way. What were once largely associated with inexpensive, enthusiast-driven watches have developed into a much broader part of the industry. Today, small brands are experimenting with materials, movements, manufacturing techniques, and design in ways that can make them serious alternatives to more established names. In this episode of Fratello Talks, […] Visit Fratello Talks: How Microbrands Have Changed The Game to read the full article.

Bell & Ross drops a 250-piece BR-X5 with a dial cut from a single slab of the 1906 Muonionalusta meteorite from northern Sweden. 41mm x 12.8mm steel, COSC-certified BR-CAL.323 (Kenissi) with 72-hour reserve. €8,900 on rubber, €9,400 on the integrated bracelet. Bell & Ross BR-X5 Meteorite: 41mm x 12.8mm steel, solid Muonionalusta meteorite dial, Kenissi BR-CAL.323, 72h reserve, 250 pieces, €8,900 rubber / €9,400 bracelet.

A hand-wound monopusher with 1930s soul and a very modern calibre, dressed in blue or silver. The Longines Master Collection Monopusher Chronograph joins an overhauled Master lineup, pairing vintage single-pusher mechanics with a richly detailed dress dial.

What We Know Straum has launched a new take on their integrated bracelet sports watch this week, shifting the focus from evoking nature to getting out and exploring. Fittingly named, the Expedition is the first watch in a new collection which Straum is calling "Built For". This will stand as a second pillar in the brand's offering, alongside the "Inspired By" collection, under which umbrella all the brand's previous releases fall. The most obvious visual cue that something here has changed is the redesigned dial, which swaps the deeply textured, colorful approach of previous Straum releases for a much more utilitarian vocabulary. With bright orange accents, huge amounts of lume, and subtly grained but largely flat dials, the emphasis is less on pure aesthetic appeal and more on legibility and practicality. The same approach has been taken with the case, which has been redesigned, but again, in largely subtle ways. The Grade 5 titanium case — which measures 38.2mm across, 45.7mm lug-to-lug, and is 11mm thick — has been reworked with broader case flanks, a stepped bezel, and a significantly enlarged screw-down crown meant to be usable in the cold or with gloves on. All together, the Expedition is decidedly new, but still clearly and recognizably a Straum. By default, the new watch comes fitted with a black FKM strap, though a new fully Grade 5 titanium case is also available for a modest upcharge, and since the watch uses Straum's strap system, any pre-existing straps an...

Bvlgari’s Aluminium collection is one of their most disruptive collections, but does the cult classic still hold up? Let’s find out! What We Love: Highly wearable Unconventional, fun design Accessible relative to the catalogue What We Don’t: Underdeveloped movement Round lugs get caught under sleeves Can a cult classic become a flagship piece? Overall Rating: 7.5/10 Value for Money: 7/10 Wearability: 8/10 Design: 8/10 Build Quality:7/10 ‘Accessibility’ and ‘Bvlgari’ aren’t two terms that usually go hand-in-hand. This is mostly by design; the Italo-Swiss brand is mostly known for its extreme luxuries, combining the very best of the jewellery and watchmaking industries to do so. This often leads to designs of equally high ambition and extravagance, such as the Octo Finissimo’s record-breaking history or the inspired silhouette of its Diva’s Dream collection. But for as ostentatious as Bvlgari’s average price tag can be, the brand also offers its signature disruption at a relatively accessible price point. Through the Bvlgari Aluminium, a collection assembled from a medley of design cues from watches past, the brand proposes a sporty timepiece that is neither built nor designed like anything else. Not only does the line look like it was frozen in time, but its combination of aluminium and rubber is an experiment in materials unlike anything else on the market. But does the watch’s uniqueness still stand on its own, even when surrounded by a sea of h...

It’s somewhat hard to believe (well, hard for me to believe, anyway) but 2026 marks the ninth year of Ming. If you had told me in the earliest days of the brand in 2017 that less than a decade later they’d factor in as one of the more important independent watch brands of their era, I’m not sure how I’d have reacted. For me, the early days were a tough sell. Ming had trouble meeting demand for their watches in those first years, which can be a good problem to have of course, but can also lead to all kinds of issues with would-be customers as the expectations game gets played out in public. They’ve solved for that largely with smart planning, and a release strategy that sees a mix of accessible pieces with more haute horlogerie oriented fare, all with a design language that is immediately recognizable and all their own.  To celebrate their ninth anniversary, Ming has introduced 57.05 Comet, a watch that features a worldtimer, one of the brand’s favorite complications, in an interesting new way. It’s also the latest watch in their fifth-generation design language, which incorporates a genuinely unique take on their own flying blade lugs, twisted with deep Art Deco tropes.  According to Ming, the 57.05 takes its name from the de Havilland Comet, which aviation enthusiasts will recognize right away as the world’s first commercial jet airliner. The watch, like many worldtimers, is meant as both a useful aid to travelers and an ode of sorts to a more romantic e...

What We Know Maison Alcée jumped headlong into the watch community consciousness in 2023, winning the GPHG 'Audacity Prize' in recognition of the brand's unique do-it-yourself, high horology, clock-building kits. Championed by Ben, who served on the GPHG jury that year, the French husband-and-wife team of Alcée and Benoit Montfort went on to craft a highly successful LE collaboration with Hodinkee (with lume!) that quickly sold out. Now Alcée and Benoit are back with another collaboration that takes their clock-making kit to the next level. Collaborating with MB&F;, who have long supported Maison Alcée by showcasing and selling their work at their Mad Gallery locations, the Maison Alcée x MB&F; Nostromo leans hard into the well-established alien aesthetic the Geneva-based creative force is known for.  Adding to the intrigue is that this clock was designed by MB&F;'s Creative Designer, Maximilian Maertens. He's the young German who is slowly and purposefully starting to take the lead on some of MB&F;'s pieces, as Max Büsser begins to step back and give up a bit of creative control over the collective brand project he founded more than two decades ago.  So what makes this Maison Alcée kit interesting and different? It's certainly expressive of the MB&F; design language, with the arched base legs or feet giving it an extraterrestrial personality. Maertens says he's a fan of and inspired by the late Swiss artist H.R. Giger (check out the wild Giger Museum in Gruyères if y...

Luminox is honoring its partnership with Force Blue by releasing a new Pacific Diver reference designed around the pair's shared mission to protect and rehabilitate the world's oceans. Luminox has a long history of working with branches of the US Military since their founding in 1989, but their relationship with Force Blue is a bit different. To better understand their mission and get a first look at a new watch built around the partnership, I hopped on a plane down to Miami with fins and mask in hand, ready to dive with the team. Many brands claim working relationships with military outfits, each with varying degrees of formality. Whether it's a licensed relationship to use military trademarks, or even individual service members using their personal watches, the link between a brand and the act of service can be difficult to judge at a glance. For Luminox, that connection was baked in from the get-go. In 1992, founder Barry Cohen worked with Assistant Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E;) Officer Nick North to develop a watch specifically for the Navy SEALs using their tritium tube-based Luminox Light Technology (LLT). The Navy SEAL watch was the first stone in what would become a broad foundation of work with special forces and law enforcement groups worldwide. It's a foundation that Mondain would continue to lean on after acquiring a stake in the brand in 2006 and full ownership in 2016. Today, Luminox maintains a licensing relationship with the US Navy SEA...

The Atelier Wen Inflection collection (2025) marked an important step up for the brand, with its complex, fully curved case, an integrated bracelet made almost entirely from tantalum, high-end dials, and a customised movement supplied by Girard-Perregaux. For Geneva Watch Days 2026, Atelier Wen has partnered with New York-based creative studio Massena LAB on a […]

Truth be told, the original Atelier Wen Inflection already felt like a statement. A young brand executing an integrated-bracelet sports watch in 99.9% pure tantalum, pairing it with grand feu enamel, and backing it with a customized Girard-Perregaux movement was ambitious. Now comes the Inflection Shuò, a collaboration with New York-based Massena Lab that elevates […] Visit Tantalizing Tantalum: The Atelier Wen × Massena Lab Inflection Shuò to read the full article.

This week on The Business of Watches, we're getting a preview and history lesson of Geneva Watch Days. Born in the dark days of the pandemic in 2020, it was a new kind of watch industry gathering that prioritized access and community over exclusivity. Jean-Christophe Babin, the former Chief Executive Officer of Bulgari, has been there from the beginning. He tells us why Geneva Watch Days started and why it's still needed. We discuss what to expect at this year's event and what the future of watch industry events might bring.  Jean-Christophe Babin.Photo courtesy LVMH With some 71 brands exhibiting, GWD has more marques than that other big watch show in Geneva that happens each spring, but it's very different in tone and feel. Using a 'decentralized' concept, brands pay fees based on their size and revenue and the show allows for plenty of smaller, boutique brands to show off their wares.  Open to the general public, it certainly isn't as glitzy nor as pricey an event as some others. Babin says the entire budget of GWD is likely less than the cost of staging and running a major booth at Watches and Wonders.  A veteran who has served as the head of LVMH's watch unit as well as the CEO of TAG Heuer, Babin has seen the industry through a myriad of cycles, giving him a unique perspective on where the watch sector has been and where it's going.   There's plenty of watch business and strategy to discuss, and we hope you enjoy the conversation. Be sure to leave any thoughts o...

With the introduction of its BR-01 model in 2005, Bell & Ross took flight with its graphic, cockpit-inspired design language, translated into the brand’s signature circle-within-a-square geometry.  In 2019, the brand ventured into less military, more urban terrain with its BR-05, a luxury integrated sports watch. As with the transition from the BR-01 to the […]