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Vacheron Constantin has long been one of the great names in artistic watchmaking, regularly using engraving, enamelling, guilloché and other traditional crafts to transform the dial into a canvas. For this new collection, part of the Maison’s “One of Not Many Crafts Programme”, the project brings together six artists and six disciplines into the world […]

You know you’re looking at something extremely exclusive if a watch is part of the One of Not Many Crafts Program. And that’s what the six Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art Tribute to the Animal Kingdom watches are. The project explores how crafts outside the traditional watchmaking repertoire can be adapted to the scale and technical […] Visit Unleash Your Inner Beast With The Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art Tribute To The Animal Kingdom Watches to read the full article.

As part of the brand’s “One of Not Many Crafts” programme, Vacheron Constantin is experimenting with a series of concept watches decorated with unexpected artisanal crafts, Métiers d’Art Tribute to the Animal Kingdom. Some of the decorative method have never before used by Vacheron Constantin, or even watchmaking at large. The series is made up of six creative watches – each a unique creation – that run the gamut of rare crafts, some that are traditional in watchmaking, like gold embroidery, but others that are surprising, like origami. Each watch has a whimsical name stemming from the subject and method: Feathersnake, Glassoctopus, Oraygami, Tigerbroidery, Papercroc, and Woodenwings. From left: Woodenwings, Feathersnake, and Tigerbroidery Initial thoughts These are one-off concept watches, so both availability and price are moot points. But they are impressive, both in terms of technique and visuals, so I imagine Vacheron Constantin will be turning to these artisans for more watches eventually. All are striking, but a few stand out. Papercroc might well be my favourite of the lot, though Vacheron Constantin missed the opportunity to make a paper tiger. On the other hand, when the exotic technique on a tiny scale and quality of the result are taken together, Tigerbroidery is arguably one of Vacheron Constantin’s greatest achievements in the rare crafts field. Papercroc Others stand out for the technique. Part of Glassoctopus’s appeal is the rawness of the ...

Another Friday, another list! This week, we’ll return to our series of articles focusing on the best releases of every month. Summer is coming to an end, and most of you are slowly getting back into the pace of daily work life. August is usually a really quiet month, with many brands temporarily closing up […] Visit The Top 5 Watches Released In August 2026 to read the full article.

Patek Philippe’s latest take on its flagship perpetual calendar is the In-Line Perpetual Calendar ref. 5236P-011 with a “gradient silver” dial. Though a cosmetic update to a model that’s only been in production since 2021, the new dial is unexpectedly appealing, giving the watch a striking different feel from its predecessors. Patek Philippe’s most advanced calendar movement, the cal. 31-260 PS QL inside the ref. 5236P is a latest-generation base movement matched with a newly-developed perpetual calendar module. The movement is now in the third generation of the reference; the ref. 5236P-011 replaces the ref. 5236P-010 with a “rose gilt” dial that was only in the catalogue for two years. Initial thoughts The ref. 5236P-011 is a new face for an existing model. Though the design remains unchanged, the dial finish that darkens towards the edges gives it a more modern feel. The composite strap adds to the modern feel, though the strap might be a bit too sporty for the watch. Paradoxically, the smoked dial finish also brings to mind aged or “tropical” dials on vintage watches. The rest of the watch stays the same, but it’s a good one. The ref. 5236P is an impressive watch in both technical and physical terms – it’s the brand’s most advanced perpetual calendar and also its largest. The size and weight are reassuring, and actually bring to mind complicated models from a rival brand from Germany. But the case is made up of lots of flat surfaces and entir...

The Inflection gets a Geneva Watch Days 2026 upgrade, with Massena Lab bringing two gold dial variants to an already serious tantalum sports watch. The Atelier Wen x Massena Lab Inflection Shuò pairs a tantalum integrated bracelet with gold dial variants and a customized Girard-Perregaux movement.

Fears brings high-complication watchmaking back to Britain with the Brunswick 39 Perpetual Calendar, a stunning QP with compact proportions

Fears Watch Company releases the Brunswick 39 Perpetual Calendar with a movement made by the Dubois Dépraz : perpetual calendar module over a Selita base.

This year, Fears celebrates 180 years since its founding and 10 years since its revival by Nicholas Bowman-Scargill. Over the past decade, the British brand has established an understated and elegant collection, with the Brunswick as its most recognizable reference point. Now, the watch, with its signature cushion-shaped case, onion crown, and pipette hands, gets […] Visit Fears Celebrates Its (Re-)Birthday With The New Brunswick 39 — The Brand’s First Perpetual Calendar to read the full article.

It’s hard to believe in our era of always-online smart watches and AI-everything (eye rolls welcome), but there was a time when the digital watch was the new kid on the block, challenging analog conventions. Cries of “kids these days” abounded, and though the then-genuine worry of traditional timekeeping going obsolete seems a bit silly in retrospect, the modern electronic digital watch was a very real and groundbreaking thing when it was first introduced by Hamilton with the Pulsar in 1970. A battery-powered quartz crystal oscillator and LED display made it a marvel at the time, and it still commands respect on the collector market today.  Like many kids of the 1990s and 2000s, my first “real” watch was a digital example, mainly because I was enamored with the ever-beeping buttons and light-up face. Still, I eventually wandered over to the analog side of watch fandom, and haven’t wavered since, a trajectory most enthusiasts will probably relate to. But in the wise words of an El Paso ad executive, “por que no los dos?” The Millennial and Zillenial era of nostalgia is here, creating a new clamoring for “retro” digital displays without sacrificing the pedigree (and social clout) that comes with an analog watch.  Enter the ana-digi, a combo of both types of timekeeping. It’s not a new concept by any means, with huge brands like Casio and Citizen offering examples for decades, but those tend to be big, bulky tool watches. Not so with the new slate of s...

The new Seiko Prospex Marinemaster 1968 Heritage Diver

There were three watches I was disappointed to have missed at Watches & Wonders. To be fair, I missed all the releases at Watches & Wonders this year, but in my mind, the three most interesting watches from the show were the Vacheron Constantin Overseas "Cardinal Points," the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Chronograph Mystérieux, and this watch from Laurent Ferrier: the Sport Traveller. I like the Laurent Ferrier brand a lot. But I've been wondering whether, in hindsight, I was a bit harsh on their entry-level Sport Auto when it was released in 2023. I liked the watch in theory, but in practice I had a few minor issues with the bracelet fit and tolerance, the thickness, and the price. I know a few people who own the watch, and my feelings have softened over time. But reading that old review, I wonder if I was right or just picking nits. This year's release of the Sport Traveller combined one of my two favorite complications—travel time/GMT—with lightweight titanium, which seems to be le matériel du jour.  It also gave me a chance to reevaluate my take on the watch, especially in a market that's become even more crowded and an audience that's more price-sensitive. Let's tackle the specs first and then move on to the feelings. Measuring 42mm by 13.3mm thick in grade 5 titanium, with 100m of water resistance, the watch is only 0.5mm wider and 0.6mm thicker than the original Sport Auto, which shows the strength of the movement design in being able to pack an extra complic...

Unveiled in 2025, the Bianchet UltraFino Tonneau (to differentiate it from the circular-shaped Ultrafino Rotondo) was an important release for the young independent watch brand. It was its first ultra-thin model, its first self-winding watch and its first timepiece with an integrated bracelet. Since the initial launch in grade 5 titanium cases, we’ve seen several […]

Probably one of the proudest informal titles I’ve garnered in my nearly 15-year career in the watch industry is “the resident enamel girl.” As a refresher, I fell in love with the artform in a hands-on workshop during a press trip several years ago and have gone on to complete three different apprenticeships in Switzerland studying the craft. I have an immense appreciation not only for the beauty of enamel dials but also the meticulous creative process behind them. Enamel dials were long held in esteem as one of the elements of watchmaking reserved for the elite, much like high complications. It’s no small feat to bring a well-executed enamel dial to life. The materials, tools, machines, and the expert level of training for the craftspeople were once gripped tightly by top brands like Patek Philippe, Breguet, Vacheron Constantin, Jaquet Droz, and Van Cleef & Arpels. Let me be clear – in practice, brand clout ultimately does not correlate to the best enamel dials. There’s a particular maison not named here (and who I will not call out by name) but who is one of the biggest names in the industry, with every resource at their disposal, and one of their recent and highly popular enamel dials is unbearably mediocre if you give it a look under a loupe. Thankfully, the collector community is starting to come around to this notion that enamel from independent brands can be equally good if not better than the old guard. If you need further proof, here are nine under the...

What We Know Today, Glaswegian brand AnOrdain, known for its handcrafted grand feu enamel dials, introduces the second entry in its porcelain dial series with the Model 1 Porcelain. Counterintuitively, it follows last year's Model 2 Porcelain, which marked the brand's first watch with a porcelain dial. While the dials are still produced by hand in AnOrdain's Glasgow workshop, using a traditional porcelain-making process (no zirconium ceramic sheets or injection-molded clay slurry), the firing of the clay and vitreous glaze at high heat for these porcelain dials can be done at a much larger scale. AnOrdain provides a comparison here of production rates—50 vitreous enamel dials per month across seven enamellers, while one ceramic specialist can produce 30-40 porcelain dials. And though it may be easy to assume porcelain dials are more forgiving and capable of higher yields, the brand notes that the final dials come from an approximate total of 300 produced, meaning there's still a mighty high rejection rate associated with porcelain dialmaking. The Model 1 Porcelain starts with, well, the brand's Model 1 case design in stainless steel. It is a reasonably compact watch, with a diameter of 38mm, a lug-to-lug measurement of 46mm, and a thickness of 11mm. The Model 1 silhouette features a short lug design with broad outer polished faceting, making the lugs feel even slimmer on the wrist. Polishing is also found on the smooth, rounded bezel, while the midcase and screwed-in cas...