Latest watch news · Page 623

Inspired by various times of day, these dials infuse new life into the classic line.

Grand Seiko's first mechanical complication gets a second act.

This new Grand Seiko First harkens back to 1960 with sparkling navy blue.

The inspiration continues to flow into the Glassbox format with this highly legible chrono for W&W; 2024.

A very Patek watch, with a new dial, hits all the right notes for the old school lovers of the brand.

From the white birch dial to the satisfying click of a new manual movement, Grand Seiko may have just dropped their best dress watch in years.

Besides one or two focus releases, Grand Seiko releases a plethora of new variations to its current models every year. In this article, we’ll summarize most of Grand Seiko’s Watches and Wonders 2024 releases, which will be available later this year. There is plenty to enjoy with a beautiful addition to the Evolution 9 lineup, […] Visit Grand Seiko Releases A String Of New References At Watches And Wonders to read the full article.

TAG Heuer’s flagship launch at Watches & Wonders 2024 is the Monaco Split Seconds Chronograph, the brand’s first-ever mechanical split-seconds chronograph wristwatch. Initially launched as a piece unique for the postponed 2023 edition of Only Watch, the Monaco Split Seconds now enters regular production in red and blue liveries. Titanium inside and out with an integrated movement developed by Vaucher – the movement bridges and plates are titanium – the Monaco Split Seconds is a premium product with a premium price that puts the brand in the haute horlogerie segment, which also communicates a mixed message given the brand’s focus on affordable chronographs. Initial thoughts While sports timekeeping is core to TAG Heuer’s DNA, the brand’s only wrist-worn split seconds chronographs to date were of the quartz and digital variety. And given the delayed sale of the Only Watch example, the Monaco Split Seconds will be TAG Heuer’s first mechanical split-seconds chronograph sold publicly, enhancing the collector appeal. One of the most iconic square watches in history – and probably the only recognisable sports chronograph with a form case – the Monaco has proven adaptable to both retro and futuristic designs over the years; the Split Seconds is of course the latter. While I find the overall styling a bit over the top, especially the X-shaped braces that form part of the dial, I can’t help but admire many of the details, such as the stepped box sapphire crysta...

IWC’s Portugieser Eternal Calendar is the undisputed calendar masterpiece of the Schaffhausen-based brand for Watches and Wonders 2024. A colossal technical milestone, the Eternal Calendar marks the brand’s first secular perpetual calendar. Unlike a perpetual calendar that will need a correction in 2100, the Eternal Calendar is fitted with a 400-year gear that overrides the […]

Whether it’s the more elegant and classy Santos-Dumont or the sportier Santos de Cartier, Cartier’s Santos collection continues to be immensely popular. No wonder the French Maison adds a few new references to the lineup every year. Understandably, 2024 is no exception, and there are even a few surprise appearances here. What to think of […] Visit Cartier Introduces The Rewind And Dual Time Versions Of Its Beloved Santos to read the full article.

If you’re new to watches and have noticed the big wave of retro love sweeping the world, the Ulysse Nardin Freak will surely shock your system. And it will stun you even more if you are not privy to the fact that this is an ever-evolving creation that is already over 20 years old. That’s […] Visit Introducing: The Ulysse Nardin Freak S Nomad - Reinventing Hand-Crafted Avant-Garde to read the full article.

As part of the Watches and Wonders 2024 releases from Grand Seiko, here we have the Grand Seiko SLGW003 and SLGW002. These are two new additions to the Evolution 9 collection. This is Grand Seiko’s newer design language that, while rooted in the 44GS, aims to push the brand forward. Today, Grand Seiko adds two […] Visit Introducing: Grand Seiko SLGW003 And SLGW002 “Birch Bark” Hand-Winders to read the full article.

Cartier is a brand that knows how to manage its hero designs. Few brands have as many iconic designs under their wings as the Parisian Maison. The Tortue is one that you may not be as familiar with as the Tank and the Santos. That could very well be because it hasn’t been in Cartier’s […] Visit Introducing: Cartier Privé Collection Tortue Hours/Minutes And Monopoussoir Chronograph to read the full article.

Amidst the plethora of sports watches with integrated bracelets, the Zenith Defy Skyline stands out for its uncluttered design and relative affordability. Now the lineup is joined by the Defy Skyline Chronograph. The chronograph maintains many of the signature features of the existing models, such as its octagonal case and star-patterned dial. Debuting in three dial colours, Defy chronograph is amongst Zenith’s sportier offerings. Like other recent launches, it is powered by the second-generation El Primero calibre. Initial thoughts The Defy Skyline Chronograph is another option for an enthusiasts seeking a sports chronograph with a contemporary design and integrated bracelet. There are admittedly many, many options in this category, but the Defy chronograph is one of the value-minded offerings. At CHF11,900, the Defy chronograph with its in-house movement is competitively priced compared to other offerings in the sports watch market. The brand has opted for a conservative design while retaining a modern edge. Though the overall design is familiar, it has incorporates a few unusual details, including a polygonal flange around the dial. The watch is being launched in only three colours, all simple, easy shades that are well suited to the design, though not exciting. With the limited colours in mind, some might want to wait for subsequent releases that may adopt the colours found in its time-only counterpart. Zenith’s latest addition The Defy chronograph joins Zenith’...

Amongst Vacheron Constantin’s novelties at Watches & Wonders is the Traditionnelle Tourbillon Chronograph Collection Excellence Platine (CEP), the latest model to receive the monochromatic, all-platinum treatment. Coming two years after the Traditionnelle Split-Seconds Chronograph CEP, this utilises platinum extensively throughout the watch, and even the stitching of the strap, while maintaining many of the standard model’s key characteristics. Initial thoughts On its face, the new Tourbillon Chronograph closely resembles the standard model in rose gold. The view from the back is practically identical – which is a good thing given the appeal of the cal. 3200, a recent in-house calibre (and not Lemania based) but one constructed with traditional aesthetics and details. Nevertheless, being a CEP edition, it embraces a primarily grey palette. This is tastefully complemented by the blue accents, including the blued steel hands, and a single blued screw on the tourbillon cage. It’s a straightforward yet effective combination.  The formula is the same one applied to past CEP editions, so the similarity between this and the standard model is understandable. However, varying the design more in order to distinguish this from the regular production model would have made it a bit more special. Nevertheless, the CEP possesses a refined charm and is more appealing than its current standard model, albeit with a price tag that is quite a bit more, as is usually the case for CEP...

Watches that do more than a human being is capable of are nothing new. Rolex, Omega, and others make dive watches that are capable of reaching depths that no man or woman could survive. The Rolex Deepsea Challenge is rated to 11,000 meters (which means it’s tested to even greater depths) while the deepest point in the ocean is about 10,900 meters, give or take. That means this particular dive watch can go deeper than any depth possible on the planet. Even that, somehow, feels more practical than IWC’s big release at Watches & Wonders, the Portugieser Eternal Calendar. This is the brand’s first secular calendar, which accounts for leap-year exception rules in the Gregorian calendar that play out over a 400 year span. A calendar complication that no living human will have a chance to observe do its thing in real time is one thing, but it’s the moonphase on this watch that is truly looking ahead: IWC claims it’s accurate to 45 million years. And just think, it wasn’t even ten years ago that the Apple Watch had many in this industry scared that watchmaking could be killed by smart-gadgets. Talk about confidence.  The concept of a secular calendar will be worth a refresher for many, as it’s a truly rare complication that most brands simply don’t attempt given the incredibly long timeframes involved (the last one we discussed in these pages was from indie Furlan Marri). The gist is this: in addition to a leap year every four years, Gregorian calendar needs an ad...

Watches & Wonders 2024 is here, and with it comes another addition to Hublot’s expanding lineup of colorful sapphire-cased watches. These vibrantly hued sapphire cases have become a bit of a staple for Hublot in the last few years, and I am here for it. As someone whose preferences typically skew towards the sensible and sedate, you might be surprised to learn that, in staunch defiance of my typical taste and common sense, Hublot’s experiments have produced some of my favorite recent watches. I’m a big believer in fun watches and, for all the flack that gets sent Hublot’s way, it’s impossible to deny the smile that creeps across your face when you strap on a giant purple sapphire tourbillon. Today’s addition to the brightly colored lineup is a new limited version of the Big Bang MP-11. The MP-11 was first introduced six years ago (back when Baselworld was still a thing) and is no stranger to transparency. Over the years, the MP-11 has seen releases in clear sapphire, dark blue sapphire, and green SAXEM. This new release brings a different character to the familiar piece, with a brand new icy glacier blue sapphire case and matching rubber strap, complemented by titanium hardware, bezel screws, and crown. The new color, which Hublot is calling ‘Water Blue Sapphire’ and releasing in a limited edition of just 50, is the result of a new chemical formula, and results in a color that seems to change based on the light around the watch from a pale blue to an ocean-...

Zenith returns to the Defy collection this year at Watches & Wonders with the introduction of a Defy Skyline Chronograph. This is a version of the next-gen Defy that Zenith fans have been anticipating since the collection’s debut, given the long line of chronographs that have populated Defy collections past and present. The new Defy Skyline Chronograph follows iterations of the Skyline that have played with materials and skeletonization, so it seems possible (even likely) that eventually the chronograph will get similar treatment. For now, we have a trio of references in stainless steel that feel like a logical extension of the Defy Skyline series.  The 42mm case is effectively unchanged from previous skylines, and is Zenith’s contemporary take on the original 8-sided Defy case first seen in the late 1960s. The Defy, as opposed to the Chronomaster and Pilot lines, has always been Zenith’s playground for the avant-garde and the unusual, and the highly sculptural case design of this watch, that traces a lineage back to the original, underscores the very nature of what the Defy is.  Dial options at launch include metallic black, blue, and silver, and feature the signature star pattern that has been present in the Skyline from the beginning. The subdials are oversized and overlap just slightly (perhaps not as much as on a Chronomaster) and are color matched to the main dial, but do not feature the Skyline stars. As with most other watches running on El Primero movement...

At Watches & Wonders 2024, Parmigiani Fleurier is launching the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor No Date, a concise sports watch clearly catered to those who want just two hands. Featuring a “Golden Siena” (or “salmon”) dial in its inaugural guise, the new Tonda PF barely deviates from the design of the original released in 2021, retaining the same case, proportions, and movement, but eliminates the date. Initial thoughts Among the sports watches launched during the integrated-bracelet-sports-watch fad, the Tonda PF stood out for its unique aesthetics that are neither boring nor flashy. While many of its competitors were often obvious derivatives of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus, the Tonda PF was more original and managed to retain some of the traditional design codes of Parmigiani’s more formal watches. From a distance, it is challenging to tell the difference between the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor No Date and the original. In fact, the only real difference lies in the dial design and colour. Although the differences are minimal, the salmon dial with a no-date layout offers a more refined aesthetic that will appeal to purists. At CHF23,500, the watch is priced the same as the date version and like it, is a decent-enough value proposition. Though it seems expensive when compared to more affordable alternatives like the Louis Vuitton Tambour or Moser Streamliner, the Tonda PF is more affordable than the Royal Oak or a Nautilus (which are mostly unobtaina...