Hodinkee
In-Depth: A Conversation With AnOrdain Founder Lewis Heath
The Glasgow watchmaker's founder talks waitlists, moonphases, and being known as a watchmaker, not an enameler.
Hodinkee
The Glasgow watchmaker's founder talks waitlists, moonphases, and being known as a watchmaker, not an enameler.
Monochrome
Introduced last year as a project, the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives has to be seen as one of the most interesting recent initiatives in the field of independent and high-end watchmaking. Even though backed up by the world’s largest luxury conglomerates, the LV Watch Prize aims to become a biennial prize that […]
Worn & Wound
Make no mistake, I’m grateful to be able to write about watches. Doing so opens a lot of doors and brings about some great opportunities. Many fantastic new watches are delivered to my door, and often weeks will pass without needing to pick something to wear from my own watch box. However, there are times when a new watch is in such demand, or produced in such limited numbers, that a loan is not easy to come by. The BR-X5 Green Lum is one such watch. Spending some time with it would mean leaving the warmth and comfort of my own home and venturing up to London’s Bell & Ross boutique. It’s a ‘hardship’ I’m willing to take, and an opportunity I’m still thankful for. So, accompanied by ‘wrist model’ and Bell & Ross fan Jeremy, I trekked up to the Big Smoke to go hands-on with this bright and bold addition to the BR-X5 line, and also had some surprise wrist time with the brand new BR 03 Cyber Ceramic. First up is the Green Lum ($13,300). When the BR-X5 line was launched in late 2022, it represented a serious advancement in the Bell & Ross brand identity. For as long as I can remember, the square watch has been Bell & Ross’s calling card. Think square: think Bell & Ross. The successful BR05 model family saw the brand pushing into the integrated-bracelet sports watch arena, rounding off a few square edges while still maintaining a familiar dial layout. Outside of those product lines Bell & Ross has also regularly added to and updated its ‘Concept’ range, w...
Worn & Wound
Orion Watches has a way of making one see a simple design in new light. Take, for instance, the isometric patterned dial on their Tesseract model. Or perhaps the tonal verdency of their Calamity diver is more your speed? Throughout the Orion catalog, one gets the sense that founder Nick Harris understands that a good watchmaker doesn’t rely on old tropes, but finds ways to add an element of surprise with each wear. That’s exactly what we’re seeing with the newest collection, the Orion Sylph. Coming in three distinct styles, the Sylph plays with color and texture against the shared sunburst dial. Customers can choose from a Graphite, Burgundy, and Black Mother-of-Pearl option, each with a bit of contrast to give a unique personality to each reference. Take, for instance, the Burgundy, which features a honey-colored dial accent and second hand. Then there is the dark charm of the Graphite option, which is contrasted with a sporty orange accent. And finally, the pièce de résistance, the Black Mother-of-Pearl reference, whose dial captures light beautifully and is accented in teal. The Sylph stands out in its price segment with stainless steel indices, setting it apart from the softer appearance of plated plastic or brass alternatives. The silver ink dial printing adds warmth and reduces harsh contrast, while the diamond-cut hands, inspired by the Calamity, feature a thinner lume strip for a harmonious design. The Sylph is adapted from the Hellcat platform. The thin ...
Monochrome
With its Captain Cook, Rado, a brand part of the Swatch Group, is merging two important sides of its history. First, this watch collection revived one of the brand’s greatest watches of the past, a 1960s dive watch with a rather peculiar yet attractive design. Second, it is used as a vessel to showcase the […]
Hodinkee
The newly-named F1 team will fly the Tudor shield for the 2024 World Championship season.
Hodinkee
The elegance and excess of the '80s are back as Piaget kicks off the celebration of its 150th anniversary.
Worn & Wound
Staff Sgt. Highrock, Jimmie to the guys, was chilled to the bone and slightly delirious with sleep deprivation but never felt more fulfilled. It was also hard to complain since the rebels were doing the same with less and had been at it for years. The ODA had had to break up into 4 cells in order to get the coverage they wanted and his cell, Alpha, had just spent the last 12 tortured hours on horseback riding over ridges and up to the spur deep in Taliban held territory. Before leaving he had set his Type 7B wrist watch to count the number of days so he could keep better track over the limited supplies they had. The latest supply drop had missed the DZ and they couldn’t for the life of them find any trace of it and so went the extra MREs they had counted on bringing with them. Dave had just finished setting up the SOFLAM and Mike was on the SATCOM to confirm with the Capt. they had arrived as well as the expected kickoff for the attack that they would be supporting. Their task was to bomb the shit out of any reinforcements moving south towards Dostum’s point of attack on the Taliban lines. Mike confirmed to Dave and Jimmie that the attack was set for mid-afternoon about 2 hours before sunset. They had finally arranged through K2, their base in Uzbekistan, to have air assets over the battle area in order to provide close air support before, during, and after the attack. They still had a few hours to wait and so spent the time glassing the road and the surrounding mounta...
Fratello
You’re probably familiar with astronaut Ed White, who performed NASA’s first spacewalk in 1965 as part of the Gemini IV mission. In the pictures of that spacewalk, you can see him wearing two watches. Unfortunately, Ed White died in a fatal accident with Apollo 1. His name will live forever, though, as the first NASA […] Visit Why Ed White Wore Two Speedmasters During His Spacewalk to read the full article.
Deployant
Introducing the new Polo 79 Ref. GOA49150. We got our hands on the pre-release sample earlier this year, and here is our review of the novelty.
Monochrome
The 2024 Formula 1 season hasn’t started yet. Teams are yet to present their new cars and liveries. And yet, the season seems to already be on a rapid pace. Following the announcement last week of a global partnership between H. Moser & Cie. and Alpine Motorsport, which includes the BWT Alpine F1 Team, it […]
Time+Tide
This elegant, restrained yet extremely sumptuous timepiece gives the tourbillion the respect it deserves.The post The Platonic ideal of a tourbillon watch: the Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon in platinum appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
If you’re trying to find a theme in my five-watch collection, you can stop right now. The only thing that the five watches I selected have in common is that they frequent my wrist. Maybe you expected a more carefully curated selection in this installment of Fratello Editors Share Their Five-Watch Collections. Instead, you get […] Visit Fratello Editors Share Their Five-Watch Collections: Lex’s Picks From Grand Seiko, Omega, Chronoswiss, King Seiko, And Oris to read the full article.
Monochrome
In our exploratory trip around the world to uncover some of the most interesting independent watchmaking stories, we make a stop in Denmark this time around. The work of Rune Bakkendorff, a young and upcoming watchmaker from Denmark has recently been brought to our attention through our friends of The Limited Edition. Curious to learn […]
Revolution
Fratello
Fratello On Air returns after a one-week break. In this episode, we’re discussing a topic suggestion from one of our listeners and readers. It’s a question that likely comes into most of our minds at some point along the way. Namely, how do we enjoy watch collecting without always thinking about the next acquisition? We […] Visit Fratello On Air: Enjoying Watch Collecting Without Always Buying More Watches to read the full article.
Quill & Pad
Many watch enthusiasts dream of owning at least one timepiece by Omega. And maybe even a second or a third. The Swiss brand definitely ranks among the most popular watch firms. To give you an idea of the overwhelming variety in the current Omega watch world, Sabine Zwettler has put together a guideline for reference numbers.
Fratello
How’s that? A G-Shock in the shape of Audemars Piguet’s most iconic model, sporting a module numbered like Patek Philippe’s most iconic watch? I can’t believe that’s a coincidence. I think Casio is joking with the watch industry on the other end of the spectrum. Of course, there is nothing wrong with that, though Casio […] Visit Hands-On: G-Shock GA-2140RX-7A 40th Anniversary Clear Remix Edition to read the full article.
Time+Tide
Piaget celebrates their 150th anniversary by bringing back their OG Polo.The post The new Piaget Polo 79 rivals beloved retro legends like the 222 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Monochrome
When it was relaunched with a modernized and sleeker design in 2016, the Piaget Polo adopted the design cues of luxury sports watches, slightly changing the face of the collection to become a cushion-shaped watch. However, this isn’t how the model started its life. This year, Piaget celebrates its 150th anniversary, and to whet our […]
Revolution
Hodinkee
Taylor Swift was just the beginning – here are our favorite watches from last night's Grammys.
Fratello
The Piaget Polo is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year. However, while the Polo name has survived, I’ve felt that the recent models have had little in common with the first Piaget Polo from 1979. Whenever Piaget showed us a new Polo model, I thought (and probably shared my thoughts with everyone who didn’t want […] Visit Hot Take: Piaget Polo 79 - A Relaunch Of Yves Piaget’s Polo Watch (Live Pictures) to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
TAG Heuer marked LVMH Watch Week with some high-end experimental pieces. With fancy watch complications and highly scientific lasers and lab work, the watches represent impressive steps forward in technology in general. They’re also just really cool to look at. The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon Glassbox uses the same circular brushed finish as the Carrera Chronograph we told you about last week, and the same eye-catching teal green, which TAG Heuer says is meant to pay tribute to vintage racing colors. But the rest of its dial’s details diverge radically from that of the Chronograph. Two registers, one at the 9 o’clock and the other at the 3 o’clock, and an aperture at the 6 o’clock that lets you look into the tourbillon give the watch a very balanced and maximalist look. TAG Heuer knows they’ve got something with the Glassbox crystal design and decided not to mess with a good thing. The Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon has the same domed sapphire crystal that TAG fans have loved in other releases since this form factor debuted a year ago. The exhibition caseback is also sapphire, giving you a good look at the Heuer 02–TH20-09 movement inside. Tourbillon movements are incredibly complex, with a rotating cage surrounding the movement that offsets the effect of gravity on the accuracy of the watch. As a result, the movement is a bit bigger than the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph’s automatic movement, necessitating a 42mm dial with a 48.6mm lug to lug ...
Hodinkee
Hublot's latest 'Masterpiece' watch is hardly a watch, but that's just fine.
Monochrome
It might sound surprising, but the Dutch watchmaking scene is much more active than many imagine. One of the most prominent and enduring names in the Netherlands is, without a doubt, Christiaan van der Klaauw. Specialised in astronomical timepieces – think about the Planetarium – CdvK has recently been acquired by Pim Koeslag (ex-Frederique Constant) […]
Worn & Wound
Once a small brand has gained some traction, they usually do one of two things: dig deep into a hero product, or continue to delve into their brand ethos to create new things. Haim Watch Company seems to be steadfastly in the latter category. Following initial releases like the L2 and the Descent which featured design codes that clearly linked them together, one would be forgiven for assuming they’d mine these models for all they’re worth. But instead, the Chicago-based brand is building new styles that only expand the definition of what a Haim watch can be. Their latest collection is their Legacy Automatic. Coming in three colorways, this line-up shows a break from the previous generations of Haim watches and nods at real growth towards higher-quality, and more eye-catching designs. Compare, for example, the original Legacy collection to the Legacy Automatic. While the former has a fairly inconspicuous charm to it, you can begin to see that Haim is ready to cement itself as a brand that can take risks and maintain its mission statement as a microbrand that brings a luxury feel to a relatively affordable price point. The Legacy Automatic references boast a lot of firsts for the brand, so I’d like to start with those as a sort of headliner for the collection. For one, it’s the first time and date-only design within the Legacy line-up. Not only that, but it’s Haim’s first custom designed caliber (more on what that really means soon) and is the first watch in Ha...
Question, suggestion, or just want to say hi? Drop a note.