Latest watch news · Page 898

For the last few months, Christopher Ward has received an unprecedented amount of attention from watch media and the enthusiast public for the release of the Bel Canto, a genuine industry phenomenon that has won over collectors of all stripes. The release was honestly timed just about perfectly, allowing the brand to get it into the hands of fans just ahead of the holiday shopping season and all of the listmaking that tends to happen at the end of the year, where the Bel Canto figured prominently. Supplemental releases in additional colorways have since sold out, and it appears that CW is ready to ride the Bel Canto wave throughout 2023 as the chiming watch is delivered to anxiously awaiting enthusiasts. But the first non Bel Canto related release of the year is something of a return to Christopher Ward’s tool watch roots. No chiming here, and no exposed mechanisms on the dial, showing that Christopher Ward is not moving directly into the haute horlogery sphere just yet.  The new C65 Dune series takes the popular C65 sports watch format into a desert inspired aesthetic. The trio of watches is named after Dune du Pilat, the tallest sand dune in Europe, and each watch makes use of tan and beige tones to underline a sandy theme. These are not hardcore tool watches in the traditional sense, though. They make use of Christopher Ward’s excellent “Light-Catcher” case finishing, which highlights unexpected bevels and undercuts in the complex case geometry and adds just a ...

From the expected (vintage Rolex, Patek, and Cartier) to the unexpected (unique Parmigiani, Franck Muller, and Breguet) rare watches were on wrists and on sale in Miami Beach.

Hublot launches a new Spirit of Big Bang in black ceramic to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit in a collaboration with Chinese artist Wen Na.

The idea of a re-edition within the watch market is nothing new. Many brands have woken up to the huge demand for revivals, recreations, or remixes of their lauded vintage references. But when these designs date to the specialist era of watchmaking, where multiple brands turned to the same dial, case, and movement manufacturers, there … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The new Zenith Defy Revival A3691 & A3690 Boutique Edition appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Integrated-bracelet luxury sports watches aren’t going anywhere, and more high-end manufacturers are getting into the game. Or getting back into it, as is the case with Chopard. Their modern-day classic, the Chopard Alpine Eagle, launched in 2019, has proven to be their biggest hit in recent memory, and it’s easy to see why. Based on their … ContinuedThe post The Chopard Alpine Eagle is a luxurious remix of an ’80s classic appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The Vulcain x Seconde Seconde x Revolution Cricket Tradition “Vulcain Salute” takes the Vulcain Cricket Tradition sublimely resurrected by Guillaume Laidet, and introduces the witty artistic flair of humorist, Romaric André, better known by his pseudonym Seconde Seconde. The running seconds hand has been replaced by an animated, colored rendition of the famous Vulcan salute […]

The new releases from LVMH Watch Week came to New York City last week, and of course the Worn & Wound team was there to check them out. It was the first big batch of new releases in 2023, and Bulgari, TAG Heuer, Hublot, and Zenith all brought a variety of watches to display. Here are initial impressions from Blake Buettner, Kat Shoulders, and Zach Kazan. Kat Shoulders  My favorite watch from the LVMH Preview was the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 200 Solargraph. There were no doubt higher end horology pieces at the preview, but as far as watches I’d be ready to buy on the spot, this one won the day for me. I’ve been known amongst the Worn and Wound crew to not be a huge titanium lover, and quite honestly, I’m perfectly OK with that. The metal typically isn’t my favorite to wear due to the lighter feel. However, the grade 2 titanium that TAG uses felt incredibly nice in person and high quality. Maybe it was the sand blasted finishing as well, but something just really struck me about this particular Aquaracer. The finishing, the feel, the bezel action…it all just comes together perfectly in my opinion. The older I get, the more comfortable I am in this hobby saying that quartz is actually really convenient. Add the ability to charge the movement via solar power, and you have a really great tool watch you literally never have to worry about. The grayed out Aquaracer shutter dial that we’ve become familiar with along with the ice blue hands and text is eye-catc...

Data nerds, rejoice: Mark Cho’s watch size survey is back. Back in 2019, watch collector and menswear retailer Mark Cho conducted his first watch size survey in an attempt to put some data behind one of the most peculiar yet foundational facets of watch collecting (we wrote about that survey here). The questions in Mark’s survey go beyond simple preferences, but get to how we view our own wrist size. Is it smaller or larger than average? And what effect does that have on the watches we choose to buy? Mark even asks about preferences for a potential “secondary watch” (a sports watch for the weekend, for example) to put an even finer point on the way we feel about watch size.  When Mark first conducted the survey, he found that a significant percentage of respondents viewed their wrist as smaller than average, which could theoretically have been a result of the tail end of the Big Watch era making us all think our wrists were too small to comfortably handle some of the most popular watches of the time. In the relatively short period that’s passed since that first survey, though, smaller watches (not small watches) have fully come back into fashion, so it will be interesting to see if perceptions change along with preferences. Regardless, there’s sure to be a ton of data, and it will be interesting to comb through it once the survey is complete.  If you’re interested in Mark’s findings from that first survey, be sure to check out his lecture for the Horologi...

Let’s take just a minute with the entire range of Italian made, leather straps available here at the Windup Watch Shop. Hoyt, Roadster, Wyckoff, Degraw, and Sackett come in a wide variety of colors, with finishing that define them: the Hoyt with it’s matte leather and no-stitch design, the Roadster with it’s breathable, rally styling, the Wykoff with it’s pebble grain leather three quarter-stitched accents, the Degraw with it’s full-stitched nubuck upper leather, and the Sackett for that classic suede look with full-stitched accents. Let’s take just a minute with the entire range of Italian made, leather straps available here at the Windup Watch Shop. Hoyt, Roadster, Wyckoff, Degraw, and Sackett come in a wide variety of colors, with finishing that define them: the Hoyt with it’s matte leather and no-stitch design, the Roadster with it’s breathable, rally styling, the Wykoff with it’s pebble grain leather three quarter-stitched accents, the Degraw with it’s full-stitched nubuck upper leather, and the Sackett for that classic suede look with full-stitched accents. The post Just a Minute with Windup Watch Shop’s Italian Leather Straps appeared first on Worn & Wound.

Sure it's another limited edition, but it looks good.

Dievas is a cult microbrand even to those who are fans of cult microbrands. Founded in 2006, they are one of the OG independent tool watch brands. Following in the footsteps of Sinn, Damasko, UTS, Archimede, and others, Dievas’s focus is on tactical, modern, overbuilt, high-spec sports watches that are made in Germany. Still a rare origin of manufacture, Germany conjures a notion of precision, quality, and value that perhaps even surpasses Switzerland (especially in value). This is particularly different as Dievas was created by the team behind Gnomon Watches, a Singaporean retailer. At the very end of 2022, Dievas announced a new model, the Maya MKIII, after several years of being relatively dormant (models were for sale via Gnomon, but no new launches). As the name suggests, the new watch is the third iteration of the brand’s popular, tactical dive watch, the Maya. Redesigned from the ground up, the MKIII is smaller, sleeker, and more affordable, while maintaining some very impressive specs and features. Priced at $1,090 on a strap and $1,240 on a bracelet, the German-made Maya MKIII is available in black, blue, and Sealab green. The latter, featured in this review, is not only different in color but in dial and bezel insert design as well, making it an outlier in the collection. $1090 Hands-On with the Dievas Maya MKIII Case Matte Stainless Steel w/ Clear DLC Movement Sellita SW-200 Dial Metallic Green Sandwich Lume Yes Lens Sapphire Strap Bracelet Water Resistance ...

Girard-Perregaux extends its Laureato lineup with two new models. The Light & Fire in red featured here and the Light & Shade in grey.

A company called International Watchman Inc have trademarked the word “NATO” and are enforcing their intellectual property.The post Do you wear a genuine NATO strap? Probably not, according to this trademark – and some retailers aren’t happy appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Ken Gargett thinks that the Victor & Charles Karma champagne is an interesting addition to the champagne firmament and is certainly magnificently presented. And if anyone finds a practical purpose for that diamond, please let him know.

“The Collectibles” program offers a curated collection of historic JLC models. The program is ongoing, starting off with an initial capsule collection of 12 timepieces. Each watch is vetted by JLC’s experts, and fully serviced and restored by their in-house restoration workshop. While there is much to enjoy about modern watchmaking, it is no secret there is a … ContinuedThe post JLC launches new program “The Collectibles” where clients can buy certified and restored vintage pieces appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

First conceived over two decades ago, Power Design Project was an exercise in avant-garde watch design. After a 14-year hiatus, it has returned with Rebirth, an exhibition that will run until February 19, 2023, in Tokyo’s trendy Harajuku district. An annual affair centred on a specific theme each year, the original Power Design Project was an experimental programme spearheaded by independent industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa. Intended to inject new energy and ideas into the Seiko’s offerings, the original project invited designers, both in-house and external, to reimagine the concept of timekeeping. The project gave birth to unorthodox timepieces, including one that was a lightbulb with the filament forming the hands. The project has been revived with a showcase of seven timepieces, each originally an iconic brand design that has been reimagined for today – hence the exhibition theme, “rebirth”. By exploring the possibilities of a watch in both design, purpose, and function, Seiko is perhaps giving us a peek into the future of its watchmaking in the decades to come. For instance, Seiko’s famous “tuna” dive watch has been transformed into a watch for children. Presented in three colourways, blue, pink, and yellow, the “tuna” for kids is scaled down and made into robust watch for active children, echoing the purpose of the deep sea-diving original. “Shikakuro”, a modern take on the “Monaco” chronograph from 1971 “Radiant Time” is a King S...

Last year, Zenith debuted the Defy Revival A3642 – a vintage-remake sports watch with an octagonal case and tetradecagonal bezel – to the delight of enthusiasts who were excited to see the return of this distinctive design. The only problem was the fact that it was limited to 250 pieces. Now the brand has introduced its regular-production version with the Defy Revival A3691 which has a ruby-red dial. Identical to the limited edition in form and dimension, the A3691 is a sturdy three-hander with a faithful vintage feel at an attractive price point. Initial thoughts Finally the Defy Revival is in regular production. With its vintage proportions and affordability, the watch was on my wish list as an alternative to mainstream sports watches, so I hope last year’s limited edition wasn’t a one-off. Seeing it make a comeback is a good thing, and the red dial certainly makes it more striking.  While some may argue – with good reason – that this is merely a rehash of the original in a different colour. It is, but the A3691 is still a good product in terms of price-performance ratio. At US$6,900, the A3691 is well priced relative to the competition, both from other brands and even Zenith itself. Its modern equivalent, the Defy Skyline, costs about 20% more, albeit with a more refined case and bracelet. For anyone who wants a sports watch with a retro flavour and in-house movement that stands apart from mainstream offerings, the A3691 is a good contender. Last year’s...

The new Hublot Classic Fusion Original collection pays homage to the watch that birthed the luxury watches on rubber trend.The post Hublot’s revival of the OG Classic Fusion is good. This would make it great… appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

In this episode of On-Wrist Reaction, we have dig into three watches that bring a lot of newness to their respective brands. To kick things off, Zach and Thomas take a look at the Oris Calibre 473 that houses Oris’ brand new in-house movement. The Calibre 473 marks the tenth in-house movement since the Hölstein based brand started the Oris Movement Creation Program and visibly highlights the 5 day power capacity on the backside of the movement via a 120 hour reserve indicator. Next up, the duo checks out the Vulcain Skindiver. Now the first thing that comes to mind when we think of Vulcain is their alarm-equipped Cricket, so naturally a diver from the brand in a tidy 38mm case was interesting to have in hand. A conversation about the BOLDR Odyssey Freediver GMT, its Miyota 9075 movement, and how the gang uses a GMT complication rounds out the episode. Check out the on-wrist reaction for all three watches in the video below, and stay tuned to this space for a more in-depth look at each watch within this week’s OWR selection. Big Crown Calibre 473 Celebrates a Decade of Oris Movement Creation Program The latest release from Oris uses a familiar design in their point date dial layout and a cotton candy blue dial color similar to that of a previous Oris limited edition collaboration with Cervo Volante. But the main draw here is Oris’ new hand wound Calibre 473 movement with a power reserve indicator on the backside of the movement. Check out Thomas Calara’s initial co...

Isotope is a British watch brand that we’ve covered fairly extensively on Worn & Wound. They take a unique approach to watch design that incorporates a signature shape (the lacrima, resembling a teardrop) and frequently makes use of vibrant color. Their range of HydriumX divers are a lot of fun and have proven to be fan favorites, and I reviewed their GMT back in March of 2021. The brand lives and dies by their playful designs: some resonate strongly, but others simply may not strike a chord. That’s perfectly OK, though. It’s the cost of doing things your own way, and a natural side effect of operating within a design language that doesn’t rely too much on watch historical design tropes. So I was curious to check out one of their latest releases, the Old Radium Bronze Tobacco. The Old Radium line is Isotope’s take on a pilot’s watch, a genre that is well understood in the broader consciousness of watch collectors, and notably challenging to iterate on. Many brands issue pilot’s watches that effectively look the same, and only the most hardcore connoisseurs will pick out the seemingly smallest differences in dial layout, case shape, and so forth. Isotope’s approach with the Old Radium is actually quite similar to what they’re doing with dive watches via the HydriumX line: taking the frame of something common, and filling it with something whimsical.  $1111 Hands-On with the Isotope Old Radium Bronze Tobacco Case Bronze Movement Landeron Automatic Dial Bro...

The proof is in the panda dial with our first Heuer of the new year.

It’s safe to say that the Metric from our friends at Brew has struck a certain chord since its release in mid 2021. The watch is a perfect expression of the brand’s retro-modern design forward sensibilities, and it happens to be utterly fantastic on the wrist. We’ve seen a few other colorways pop up since its introduction, and at less than $500, supply can never never seem to keep up with demand. Today, the Brew Metric welcomes its chicest colorway to date: gold. The Metric Gold touts a full gold plated case and bracelet with a striking black dial beset with gold hands and markers.  The Brew Metric Gold retains the 36mm x 41.5mm case dimensions (10.75mm in thickness) that we loved in the earlier variants, and embraces a clean pure gold and black colorway that works shockingly well in this design, which also did pretty well in its color-forward sporty guise. The dial design has been altered slightly, welcoming Arabic numerals in the rehaut marking each 5 minute segment. Gone is the subtle callout between the 25 and 35 second mark, which was a nod to the ideal brewing time for an espresso shot. Inside, Brew is using the hybrid vk68 meca-quartz chronograph, with a running seconds hand at 6 o’clock, and a minute totalizer at 9 o’clock. The TV shaped dial section is completely covered with a sapphire crystal, which is a welcome touch in this price range. A polished bevel along the side of the case meets the integrated(ish) flat link bracelet creating something of a s...