Latest watch news · Page 54

The Citizen “bullhead” chronograph returns in the form of the Challenge Timer, a design that dates back to the 1970s. Citizen now reintroduces this formerly Japan-only model to the European market with the eponymous layout, with the pushers and crown at the top of the case. This reissue matters for a simple reason. Demand for […] Visit Hands-On With The New Quartz Citizen Challenge Timer “Tsuno” to read the full article.

Recently revived Genevan haute horlogerie brand Niton jumps into the jumping hours market with the Prima — one of the more refined high-end examples of the industry’s latest favourite complication. It features a bespoke, shaped calibre that proudly carries the Poinçon de Genève — true to its inspiration — and is packed with creative choices and features. Initial thoughts Not long ago it seemed like 2025 would go down as the year of the jump hour, but the trend was evidently just getting started. The Niton Prima exemplifies this ongoing trend with surprising elegance and historical fidelity. As a rule of thumb, I view revival brands with a degree of scepticism; I would prefer people make a name for themselves rather than buying one. However, the Niton Prima shows a clear understanding of — and passion for — the source material, so I am satisfied this is not a mere cash-grab. It doesn’t hurt that the watch is excellent inside and out, and while expensive in absolute terms, it is fairly priced for what you get. The movement deserves special mention as the source of much of the appeal, being a true shaped movement — a very handsome one at that — and a competent timekeeper. It is finely finished with a plethora of interesting and clever features, including hidden screws for joining the bridges and mainplate, a small seconds hand that stops itself at 60 after the crown is pulled, and a sonnerie au passage to enhance the sound of the jump hour. Another point i...

Seiko is reinforcing its entry level collection with the 5 Sports Field Series, a range of new models with compass bezels available in a range of dial colours from instrument-like white to brown, which seems to be a popular colour at the moment. While substantively similar to existing Seiko 5 Sports models and equally well priced, the Field Series watches feature serrated compass bezels with a glittering hobnail motif that is both functional — for enhanced grip — and attractive. Left to right: HDB009, HDB008, HDB006, and HDB007. Image – Seiko Initial thoughts The Seiko 5 Sports collection is perhaps the ultimate gateway to watch collecting. It’s the rare entry level watch that could be someone’s last watch as easily as their first. Not everyone is a collector, and some people just want a watch that does what is asked without asking for much in return. The Seiko 5 Sports fits the bill, while opening the door to the larger world of mechanical watches. The Seiko 5 is tangibly appealing in several respects, being one of the most affordable mechanical watches from a fully integrated manufacture. With Seiko, there’s no wondering who made what — the brand even formulates its own luminous compound for the hands, hour markers, and bezel pip instead of relying on the same suppliers as everyone else. Seiko also understands the aesthetic history of the wristwatch because the brand helped write it. This explains some of the subtle details like the tiny serifs on the hour ...

There are moments in the life of a new space when you stop and think: this is exactly what we built it for.

One of my favorite days on the watch media calendar every year is the Naoya Hida preview day. Every spring for the last few years, watch media types make appointments at the Armoury on the Upper East Side to get a look at the upcoming Naoya Hida releases for the year. It feels like a very old fashioned way of doing things. Yes, there’s a press release sent out ahead of time, but Naoya Hida only makes one announcement like this per year – there are no mid-cycle drops or limited editions released to coincide with some later event. Members of the Naoya Hida team are present and there to explain the collection, piece by piece.  This year, Naoya Hida will produce a total of 10 models, 7 of which are new designs. We won’t go through each one here, but rather focus on the references that are completely new and those that have the most notable upgrades.  The reference that immediately caught my eye and was easily the most unexpected of the bunch is the new NH TYPE2C-2. To this point, Naoya Hida has really been defined, in my estimation, by their dial aesthetic, which prominently features elaborate hand engravings in the dial surface. It’s a very traditional and inherently ornate way to make a dial, and the execution is always top notch. It’s a type of craft that’s a true “IYKYK” proposition, though. From a distance the handwork on these dials might not be obvious, but they really come alive under close examination, especially under a loupe.  Anyway, the TYPE2C-2...

The new Timex Navi Snoopy Soccer brings Peanuts to Timex's sportier 41mm case. An honest look at the affordable collab, its blue sunray dial, and its trade-offs.

Independent Japanese watch brand Naoya Hida & Co. usually plays it discreetly, with only a batch of new releases per year and a highly limited production capacity. Last week, the brand released its entire range of models for 2026/2027, a total of 10 new watches and 7 new references, including a spectacular chronograph, a compact […]

After taking my French lessons in Duolingo for the better part of three years, I’m happy to say that some of those grammar tips are still rolling around in the ol’ noggin when I have to type such names as Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph in Chocolate – hey, if no one else is going to toot my horn, I might as well, right? Now, enough about me. This latest edition from the brand (which, impressively, has been around since 1791) gives the overall appearance of the Laureato model (which, only slightly less impressively, has been around since 1975) a warmer character with a brown hobnail dial, a matching rubber strap, and rose gold details against the slightly colder steel case. The Laureato elements haven’t gone anywhere on this iteration, they’ve just been updated to complement the chocolate tones. The octagonal bezel, crown, and chronograph pushers have all been executed in rose gold. The integrated rubber strap and tonneau-shaped 904L steel case keep the model’s trademark style while working within what Girard-Perregaux has described as “sporty-chic,” a phrase I’m not too fond of, but can’t deny does describe this watch quite well. The real depth and warmth come from the dial itself. Girard-Perregaux uses a brown Clou de Paris hobnail pattern, with matching subdials and rose-gilt baton markers and hands. The rubber strap I briefly mentioned above continues that same Clou de Paris texture, tying the Chocolate colorway together and keeping things in b...

What We Know Usually, we only get one round of Naoya Hida & Co. releases each year, as the company manufactures so few watches per year (though that number is increasing) that one round of releases of 10+ models with around 10 watches per model per year is about the maximum. So imagine my surprise when we got a press release about a new collaboration between Hida-san and his retailer, The Armoury, to be released after the initial wave of releases. They've collaborated before (their "Lettercutter" is one of Hida's most beloved watches). This new release, the Type 4A-2 "Floating Feathers," is by far the most unusual and imaginative Naoya Hida watch yet. The watch uses a high-polish stainless steel Type 4 case (36mm by 42.9mm lug-to-lug, 11mm thick) with a central seconds hand, keeping the dial free for artistic expression. Mark Cho, co-founder of The Armoury, and designer Elliot Hammer say that they were inspired by decorative ornithological dials, botanical motifs, and nature scenes.  As ornithology is the study of birds, my thought immediately went to "singing bird boxes," but hey, I didn't make the watch, so no one asked me. Hammer, who travels to Japan often, said he was taken by their attention to space and timelessness, and in the press release says, "if there are feathers, there must have also once been a bird." Rationale for the design aside, Naoya Hida & Co. has the benefit of a talented in-house engraver, Keisuke Kano, and used the bead-blasted Argentium silver di...

Ever since the return of the brand under the umbrella of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton (alongside Gerald Genta), Daniel Roth has focused on bringing back the emblematic ellipsocurvex design of Monsieur Roth, as well as the refined execution of earlier creations. Following the debut of the Tourbillon model, available in yellow and rose […]

What We Know There's just something about the Daniel Roth case that makes for an excellent watch. On the wrist, the ellipsocurvex shape sits comfortably between a round dress watch and a tank, and with the Extra-Plat case (extra-flat, in English) and slightly dropped lugs, it has incredible appeal once you put it on. Which makes it especially hard to convey that in text, but I'll try my best with the newest version that launched today, the Extra Plat Platinum model. I saw the watch a few months ago when the brand also announced the Extra Plat Skeleton, which was impressive in its own way. But I'd been waiting for a white metal Extra Plat since the brand relaunched (even though the price tag was bound to be outside my range).  The Extra Plat Souscription was announced only a little over a year ago, and the new platinum version is already the fourth variant in the lineup (yellow gold for the souscription, rose for the next, the rose gold skeleton, and now this). There are only so many ways you can play with the concept, but the details matter even more because of it. The Souscription, pictured below, had a tonal dial and case with blue printing and hands, a treatment I liked a lot. I actually asked whether the brand planned to take the same approach with the following releases, and the answer, at the time, was no. I think the result is, frankly, a bit more legible. For comparison, I'm showing them all below, and you get a taste of what the front and back look like at the sa...

Daniel Roth’s latest addition to its time-only portfolio is the Extra Plat Platinum. A familiar face in a new colourway, the Extra Plat offers the Tourbillon Platinum‘s stealthy look in a more accessible two-hand format. Powered by the DR002 in-house calibre developed by Louis Vuitton’s La Fabrique du Temps (LFT), this regular production model brings a decidedly subtle look to the brand’s simple dress watch. Initial thoughts It’s been interesting to observe Louis Vuitton’s confident foray into haute horlogerie through the revival of Daniel Roth. Despite the corporate structure, astute collectors continue to speak of Daniel Roth in the same breath as other leading independent watchmakers. To the independent-collecting cognoscenti, the platinum Extra Plat should prove a compelling option – rooted in the early history of the independent watchmaking movement but built to meet contemporary expectations. Following Daniel Roth’s launch of the Tourbillon Souscription, the time-only, manually wound Extra Plat — “extra flat” for non-French speakers — debuted in an 18k yellow gold souscription edition followed closely by regular production models in rose gold, with and without skeletonisation. The new platinum Extra Plat rounds out the set. Combined with the matching dial with contrasting finishes, it creates a rather stealthy profile for this otherwise opulently finished dress watch. Extra Plat-inum The platinum double-ellipse case shares the wrist-friendly d...

Discover less-obvious watches for enthusiasts, with hands-on reviewed picks that favor personality, real wrist time, and hidden-gem appeal over the usual recommendations.

Longines has long been connected to sport. From its long-standing role as official timekeeper of major competitions to its continued involvement with the Commonwealth Games since 1962, the brand has always been there to measure performance with precision. Following earlier celebratory editions, such as the colourful 2022 Birmingham model, Longines now introduces the HydroConquest Commonwealth […]

Longines unveils a colourful addition to the HydroConquest line, celebrating the 23rd Commonwealth Games in 2026

The Jacob & Co. The Godfather II is not the first Godfather-themed watch. It is, however, the first that plays two tunes — “The Godfather Waltz” and “The Godfather Love Theme.” Jacob & Co. built a timepiece with a single music box barrel playing two songs, and Benjamin Arabov tells us how the watch with […] Visit Video: The Jacob & Co. The Godfather II — A Double-Melody Musical Timepiece to read the full article.

The Laureato is Girard-Perregaux’s answer to the integrated luxury sports watch. Born in 1975 as a chronometer-certified quartz sports watch, Girard-Perregaux revived the Laureato in 2016 as a limited edition to celebrate the brand’s 225th anniversary, and later as a collection in 2017. Produced three years after Gérald Genta’s landmark Royal Oak but a year […]

Girard-Perregaux (GP) has expanded the Laureato Chronograph collection with an on-trend two-tone model with a brown dial. For fans of the Laureato — or 1970s-inspired sports watches in general — the new steel-and-rose gold reference strikes a balance between casual and luxurious. While not a limited edition, GP intends to start production with a small run of just 50 pieces. Initial thoughts Earth-tone dials seem to be having a moment. As more watch brands continue to explore brown dials and earth tones, GP has jumped in with its own interpretation. Brown can be a difficult colour to pull off, but the glittering hobnail texture of the Laureato’s dial lends this casual colour a degree of luxury and keeps it from looking dull. The new two-tone variant features the same dimensions as its stablemates, with a diameter of 42 mm and a thickness of 12.16 mm. But at a time when watches seem to be getting smaller, the 42 mm size feels larger than ever. Of course, size has its perks — the large dial opening reveals a richly detailed dial, and the 18k rose gold bezel has plenty of personality at this scale. For those who find the size intimidating on paper, the integrated rubber strap should remove much of the perceived bulk on the wrist. Rubber hasn’t always been considered a luxury material, but today it’s an industry staple, and an appealing alternative to the weight of steel or precious metal. The everyday luxury chronograph The Laureato Chronograph is fundamentally a ...

Thomas Baillod announced that Ba111od has acquired their supplier - BCP Tourbillons. Here is a video of him talking about the acquisition and the new watch.

Relaunched in 2019, the Seiko 5 Sport range has grown significantly over the years, to the point where it could become a brand in its own right. Based on a concept of affordability and durability dating back to the 1960s, it started with the inaugural SKX-inspired, dive-oriented models and has expanded to include dozens of […]

In this new series, we will focus on (neo-)vintage watches that can now be found at interesting prices on the secondary market. We will select watches we have come across in our searches for nice pieces or simply those we think could fulfill a certain desire or role in one’s collection. For this first installment, […] Visit Is It Worth It: Pre-Owned Omega Constellation ‘95 to read the full article.

Watch prices have been creeping upward for years, but recently, it feels like something more fundamental is happening. It’s no longer just about incremental increases, as entire segments seem to be shifting. Brands are moving into price territory once occupied by others, microbrands are pushing higher than ever before, and the old mental map of […] Visit Fratello Talks: The Great Watch Price-Shift Dilemma to read the full article.