Two Broke Watch Snobs
One Of The Coolest Japanese Watches You’ll Probably Never See In Person
Credor's new Kuon GCLX995 pairs a blue ceramic dial with hand-wound Spring Drive in a 39mm steel case. Here's what stands out.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Credor's new Kuon GCLX995 pairs a blue ceramic dial with hand-wound Spring Drive in a 39mm steel case. Here's what stands out.
Worn & Wound
I wonder how many times the words “It’s an anniversary year for…” have been written on this website? It probably wouldn’t be that hard to figure out, but frankly I have too many articles about anniversaries to write to devote even a small amount of time to this particular task. Case in point, the latest from Citizen, which celebrates not the anniversary of the brand itself, but rather a piece of technology that they have pioneered and has in many ways come to define them for both casual watch consumers and hardcore enthusiasts alike. That’s right folks, Eco-Drive turns 50 this year, and I think you’ll agree that at the half century mark it’s looking as youthful and promising as ever, countering the conventional wisdom and advice from dermatologists everywhere to stay out of the sun. The new watch is called the Photon, and when it hits retailers in the fall it will come in two versions: the BJ6560-53W in silver titanium and the BJ6569-59X in black coated titanium with a gold toned accent on the outside of the case. Both feature the same latticed dial made up of two metal dial plates that allow light to pass through and hit the Eco-Drive sensor. According to Citizen, the design is inspired by the famous “double slit experiment” that proves light can exhibit both wave and particle-like behaviors. I can already imagine 7th grade science teachers removing their watches in class to perform live demonstrations while simultaneously indoctrinating a new genera...
Revolution
Deployant
Bell & Ross adds a touch of femininity with the sparkle of precious stones to its smallest BR-05 yet. Introducing the BR-05 36mm Blue Diamond Eagle.
Fratello
One of the most intriguing natural phenomena is the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights. Witnessing this display of colors in the sky is on the bucket lists of many travel lovers. I haven’t seen the spectacular green, red, and purple night skies, but I know from friends that they are mesmerizing. The […] Visit Hands-On With The Surprisingly Creative Nordic Marine Instruments Lunør to read the full article.
Monochrome
The BR-05 was introduced in 2019 in 40mm as Bell & Ross’s answer to the luxury integrated bracelet sports watch trend, translating the BR-01’s cockpit instrument looks into a more contemporary, everyday design. In tune with contemporary trends for more compact, unisex diameters, Bell & Ross presented a 36mm version in 2025. The latest BR-05 […]
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Our top 5 affordable watch releases of 2026 so far, all under $500, featuring standout picks from microbrands, G-Shock, and more.
Monochrome
A watch like this is not one for doing things halfway. The Jacob & Co. Billionaire Double Tourbillon Angel Cut is exactly what the name suggests. It is a large watch fully set with diamonds and is hard to ignore once it is on the wrist. Since its debut in 2015, the Billionaire line has […]
Is the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Dual Time the ultimate luxury travel watch? We went hands-on to find out! What We Love The versatility of the piece, being a sports watch that dresses up or down Ease of use of the Dual Time function and quick set date The brushed silver dial really stands out with an easy-to-read layout. What We Don’t The watch can wear on the larger side, especially on the bracelet The bezel is prone to surface marks, like most polished metal bezels The strap thickness at the base tends to flare out a little, depending on your wrist shape and size Overall Rating: 8.75 / 10 Value for Money: 8/10 Wearability: 8.5/10 Design: 9/10 Build Quality: 9.5/10 This article was originally published as Vacheron Constantin Overseas Dual Time Review: Is It The Ultimate Luxury Travel Watch? There’s something special about a watch that can seamlessly blend luxury with everyday practicality – and that’s exactly what Vacheron Constantin has achieved with the Overseas Dual Time. As part of the brand’s legendary Overseas collection, this piece is designed for those who appreciate fine watchmaking but also need something versatile enough to handle life on the move. With its sporty yet sophisticated aesthetic, an in-house movement built for precision, and a clever dual-time function that makes tracking multiple time zones effortless, the Overseas Dual Time is a serious contender for the ultimate travel watch, which for a guy who has a Rolex GMT “Batgirl” as ...
Revolution
Time+Tide
Continuing to push for material innovation in the watch industry, ArtyA brings us a case made from an underutilised stone. The post ArtyA pushes case material boundaries with the new Purity Moissanite Curvy Tourbillon appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
A decade ago, Arthur Gerbi, founder of the Merci concept store at 111 Boulevard Beaumarchais in Paris, introduced the first watch under the Merci Instruments name. Like John Mayer at the time, he felt that traditional watchmaking houses no longer adequately accounted for the expectations of true enthusiasts. The watches under the Merci Instruments brand […] Visit Hands-On With The New Merci Instruments Beaumarchais Collection - A Sextet Of Thoughtful And Affordable Watches to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Announced last year, Swatch’s AI-DADA platform is now live, enabling customers to design and build their own custom Swatch with a design that will never be repeated. With a low entry price and quick turnaround, I took the platform for a spin. Why AI Swatch has been a design-oriented brand since its debut in 1983. Not only has Swatch produced a dizzying array of original designs of its own, over the years the brand has collaborated with celebrated artists and leading institutions to democratise access to wearable art. About a decade ago, Swatch’s world-class logistics infrastructure enabled it to offer customised watches via an online configurator that enabled customers to mix and match different elements from a pre-selected range of options. That was quickly followed by the ability to generate a custom-printed design, by dragging a Swatch template over a selection of human-created patterns and designs. The AI-DADA system, launched earlier this year, builds on this basis in way that only Swatch could pull off. The system leverages an undisclosed large language model (LLM) to generate a custom design based on a user’s 300-character prompt. The result is a made-to-order Swatch of the customer’s own design, delivered in as few as five days. What’s more, the cost is little more than an off-the-shelf model, at just US$195. With little to lose, I took the plunge. AI-DADA Swatch watches are powered by standard quartz movements in the typical New Gent case size. Three str...
SJX Watches
IWC started the year with a dramatic new look for a classic, the Portugieser Chronograph Ceratanium. Almost 30 years old but ageless, the Portugieser Chronograph gains an all-black look and Ceratanium case with this appealing, but pricey, limited edition that encapsulates the brand’s strengths and weaknesses. Initial thoughts In the mid to late 2000s, the all-black look was one the major fads in watchmaking, having been pioneered by Hublot, then at the beginning of its renaissance led by Jean-Claude Biver. All-black watches were everywhere yet desirable, and some even sold for multiples of retail. The Portugieser Chronograph Ceratanium is two decades late for that fad, and too early for the next one. But it is still an appealing watch in itself, though expensive compared to the standard version. It’s essentially a Portugieser chronograph dressed entirely in black with a case in ceramic-coated titanium. As a result, it has of the elements that make the model appealing: a symmetrical design, good proportions, slimness, and a distinctive style despite the simplicity. The all-black livery adds to the design, since it goes well with the clean styling. Though complementary aesthetically, the all-black finish and Portugieser design don’t quite pair conceptually, since the Portugieser is a historically inspired dress watch. Despite the incongruity, the Ceratanium chronograph looks and feels good on the wrist. More broadly, the watch illustrates IWC’s strengths and weakness...
Video
Towards the end of 2025, the GW-BX5600 was released in Japan and the United Kingdom, selling out incredibly fast, as G-Shock fans had been eagerly awaiting this first resin square design with an MIP display. Fast forw...
Video
At first, I genuinely didn’t understand it… and even after wearing it for a few days, I’m still not sure how I feel.
Video
Hodinkee
The Swiss-based watchmakers pick up their second major award in three years.
Monochrome
Introduced in 2024 as a project to encourage independent watchmaking, the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives has gathered great interest among the watch community, depsite being backed up by the world’s largest luxury conglomerates. A truly interesting initiative in the field of independent and high-end horology, it now a biennial prize that celebrates […]
Worn & Wound
We live in a (watch) world where brand names reign supreme and terms like “in-house” carry a lot of weight. However, I find it much more interesting when a watchmaker is willing to peel back the curtain and highlight the great minds and hands that go into crafting the watches we love. Recently, Nomos gave us one of those unique opportunities to sit down with the man behind the design of one of its core collections: the Metro. The Metro first came into the Nomos catalog back in 2014. At the time, it made waves thanks to its debut of the brand’s proprietary swing escapement system, which was developed over seven years with the Fraunhofer Institute and TU Dresden. The structure notably features a tempered blue balance spring and offers superior precision, efficiency, and compactness with a thickness of approximately 3.2mm, which perfectly lends itself to Nomos’ sleek and effortless timepieces. While perhaps considered secondary at its initial introduction, the form of the new collection was given just as much attention as the function. In typical Nomos fashion, the caliber was housed in a modern and minimalist design echoing the tenets of German watchmaking but with a twist. This creation was the brainchild of industrial designer Mark Braun. The project marks Braun’s first and only foray into the watch space. The artist has worked in nearly every medium under the sun from furniture to kitchenware and birdhouses to shaving kits, light fixtures, jewelry, calligraphy p...
Hodinkee
The revived VANAC line expands with three new titanium references, inspired by Tokyo's skyline.
Worn & Wound
Everything’s bigger in Texas-and that fact continues to ring true for the Windup Watch Fair Dallas. Returning for its second year and expanding into a full three-day event, the Fair once again took over the Hickory Street Annex, transforming the historic industrial space into a buzzing hub of watches, conversation, and community. With more than 40 brands in attendance, the show floor was packed with everything from established Lead Sponsors like Christopher Ward, Junghans, and Oris to rising independents, alongside a strong showing Miyota, our Official Movement Sponsor, and from Texas-based brands gathered together in our “Texas Roundup” area, deep in the heart of Windup. As always, the show delivered what Windup does best: a hands-on, approachable environment where enthusiasts and newcomers alike could try on watches, meet the people behind the brand, and share in the collective enthusiasm that defines the weekend. But as much as Windup is about watches, Dallas proved once again that it was just as much about the experience. Across the weekend, attendees found plenty to do beyond the booths-whether that meant taking in live art from Sunflowerman, snagging a swig at the Bruichladdich bar, learning about Miyota mechanical movements, or spending time in the Accutron Lounge diving into Tuning Fork and Electrostatic tech. It all added up to the kind of layered, come-as-you-are atmosphere that has become the hallmark of the Fair, which Texas wears well. Came for th...
Monochrome
It all started with ref. 7042, and the Longines Legend Diver has been around, in one form or another, since 1959, and over the past years, the brand with the Winged Hourglass logo has wisely chosen evolution over reinvention. New sizes, updated movements, fresh dial colours, but always within the frame of what makes the […]
Worn & Wound
Having none myself, I’m always a bit impressed when it comes to those who have artistic talent – and that goes doubly for those who can appreciate the everyday beauty around them. This is especially true when those two virtues combine to form a beautiful little timepiece, like the Altmann × Isotope Osaka Cloisonné Enamel, a new collaboration between English watchmaker Isotope and designer, illustrator, and typographer Björn Altmann. The first, and perhaps only, thing you will notice about this watch is its dial, which is based on a municipal manhole cover featuring Osaka Castle. Now, you may be asking yourself, why Japanese manhole covers? I can assure you that you are not alone in that. Apparently, after a Wikipedia deep dive, it is something of an urban art form and a show of civic pride throughout Japan. In fact, more than 15 million manhole covers across the country feature some sort of carved, imprinted, or painted design. This was a niche interest of Isotope founder José Miranda, which eventually led Miranda to Björn Altmann’s book Manhole Covers of the World. This, in turn, led to this collaboration you see before you today. The intricacy of the dial does not stop with its source material. The dial itself is made in grand feu cloisonné enamel, using fine silver wires and multiple rounds of firing to build out the design and color. The process took close to a year to develop, and in the end only five dials were successfully completed, which helps explain ...
SJX Watches
The Ardra Labs Delta Type addresses the sizeable minority that grapples with unusual time-zone offsets ignored by traditional GMT watches, doing so in a clever, practical, and visually distinct manner, in a well-rounded package. Initial thoughts Most of our lives follow standard time zones defined as full-hour offsets from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) - the same as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), practically speaking. However, well over a billion people, from Newfoundland, Canada, to New Zealand’s Chatham Islands, march to a different beat. The Ardra Labs Delta Type, created by Indian-American Nava Krishnan - a cybersecurity professional living in Washington, DC, with family back in South India - aims to provide a solution for those ignored by conventional GMT watches. Louis Vuitton made an attempt towards the same end, though by very different means, with the recent Twin Zone. Timezones of the world. Image – CIA World Factbook India, the world’s most populous country since 2023, spans two of the 24 geographic time zones - GMT+5:00 and GMT+6:00 - however, rather than splitting into two, the country splits the difference, with the entire nation observing a single GMT+5:30 time zone. This is not entirely unique: China nominally operates on a single time zone rather than the five geographic ones it covers, though that is a full-hour offset. While Venezuela and North Korea have abandoned their partial-hour time-zone offsets in the last decade, the Indian governm...
Deployant
Dominique Renaud established yet another brand and releases his first watch - the Pulse60, with a movement beating at a slow 1 Hertz.
Time+Tide
Three new jewellery pieces from Bulargi that play on the mystique of Roman legends in unique and unexpected ways. The post The New Bulgari Eclettica Watches Turn Roman Grandeur Into Wearable Art appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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