Latest watch news · Page 95

Sartory-Billard joins forces with Time+Tide to create an ode to the New York City skyline, and the iconic architecture within it

I attended a special Leica SL preview showing of the new Leica SL3-P at Leica Singapore recently. Here are the specifications and my hand-on experience

The Orbit, presented in 2022, is one of the defining models within Armin Strom’s catalogue. With the date displayed on demand via the bezel, it offered an original take on a function that has stayed mostly unchanged for decades. Since the launch, the independent Biel-based manufacture has produced several editions, including the inaugural First Edition, […]

Ask watch fans what makes Farer stand out, and chances are that you’ll quickly get an answer involving colors. The London-based brand has a knack for them. A great example is the Lissom collection that I reviewed last year. It’s a group of daily wearers that shows the importance of colors in creating a great […] Visit Channeling The Colorful Racing Culture Of The 1970s With The New Farer Racing Chronographs to read the full article.

Please meet Peacock, a Chinese watch brand that has been creating complicated timepieces since 1957, and its Haiyi Tourbillon, a 40mm limited-edition dive watch with a colorful Lindsay-engraved enameled dial in three colors. You might not be familiar with Liaoning Peacock, also known as the Peacock Watch Company, but the manufacturer from Dandong, China, is […] Visit Chinese Haute Horlogerie From “The Geneva of the East?” — The New Peacock Haiyi Tourbillon Yu Limited Edition to read the full article.

Alongside the sporty Fifty Fathoms, Bathyscaphe or Air Command collections, the Villeret range, named after the village in the Vallée de Joux, where Jehan-Jacques Blancpain set up his workshop on the top floor of his house in 1735, is the epitome of classic. Ranging from time-only to high complications, the entry-level model to the Villeret […]

Sometimes, as a watch enthusiast, you just connect with a brand. Fears is such a brand for me. I find this revived English indie watch company a prime example of how to establish yourself in a slightly higher segment than most. As much as I appreciate the company from a distance, I had spent little […] Visit Don’t Sleep On These Cushions — Hands-On With Three Fears Brunswick Models to read the full article.

The new Blancpain Villeret Ultraplate 38mm opens the door to a more compact option and a first-ever sunburst salmon dial for the line.

What We Know Today, Blancpain has downsized its ultra-thin Villeret Ultraplate dress watch, with new options in 38mm for greater wearability. The previous 40mm options of the 'Golden Hour' series, which I covered last October, remain, but the 38mm options are going to be much more appealing all around as proper dress watches. The case still remains incredibly thin, especially for a self-winding watch, at 8.35mm, but the 38mm downsizing now offers a short 43.35mm lug-to-lug measurement for small wrists and those who prefer the more traditional proportion of how a dress watch should look on the wrist. Here, four options are presented within these new measurements: three with stainless steel cases, and one in 18K red gold. The dial design continues the visual update introduced last October in the Villeret series, with simplified Roman numerals, the applied "JB" logo at 12 o'clock (standing for Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, who the brand credits as the founder), slim but still lumed leaf hands, and a skeletonized rotor. In stainless steel, there are three dial colors available. Salmon is a first for the Villeret collection, with a copper-hued dial paired with anthracite-coated 18K gold numerals. My favorite of the lineup, the Villeret Ultraplate featuring a warm champagne-hued dial with 18K yellow gold numerals set within a steel case with a green nubuck strap, will be offered as a boutique exclusive. More classic pairings of white gold numerals in a steel case and red gold numeral...

Akhor is a new Geneva indie brand carving a niche for high-end watchmaking, poetic design and top-end finishing. A collective project founded by Anissa Bader in 2025, Akhor is built around its floating dial architecture with a patented two-disc construction by sister company Clamax, a Geneva-based component and micromechanics manufacturer. Writing the next chapter, the […]

The much-anticipated refresh of Grand Seiko’s Evolution 9 line has arrived with new bracelets for six existing dials, as well as a newcomer and a mid-sized version of the fan favorite Lake Suwa. This brings much improved bracelets to Grand Seiko’s upmarket (and very successful) Evolution 9 line, fueling Seiko’s global ambitions for its flagship luxury brand. Moonlit Lake Suwa (SLGB007) Initial thoughts If the UFA Ushio Diver launched earlier this year proved anything, it’s that Grand Seiko is listening to its customers, and those customers want slim watches, case back power reserve indicators, better bracelets, and a tool-less quick adjust clasp. The Evolution 9 line, launched six years ago in 2020, met half of these requirements, being let down by only the bracelet. With this refresh, the Evolution 9 becomes an even more competitive, and compelling, collection. Grand Seiko’s in-house quick-adjust clasp. Image – Seiko Watch Corporation Unfortunately, the changes also come with a significant movement downgrade for the Spring Drive models, replacing the extended power reserve cal. 9RA2 with the simplified cal. 9RB2. That said, the UFA designation will be seen as a significant upgrade to all but the nerdiest collectors, making it a coup for Grand Seiko as the new movement adds value for the customer while presumably being less expensive to manufacture. Cal, 9RB2. Image – Seiko Watch Corporation But before you run out to buy one of the five-day Spring Drive watch...

Summer is officially here! My colleagues have all been writing in anticipation of the official start of the year’s warmest season, but I have the privilege of being the first to report from within. And things have kicked off to a sweltering start. This week, temperatures are set to reach the mid-30s Celsius here in […] Visit The Best Summer Watches — Nacho’s Picks From Vaer, Doxa, Omega, And More to read the full article.

Independent watchmaker Sylvain Pinaud has introduced the Tourbillon, a watch that looks a lot like the brand’s sophomore Origine, but is in fact entirely different. The apparent similarity conceals an all-new calibre, which features a lively 30-second tourbillon front and centre. Mr Pinaud’s most ambitious project yet will be made in three 10-piece limited editions: one in titanium, and two in platinum. Initial thoughts Sylvain Pinaud is one of the few contemporary independent watchmakers who launched his eponymous brand with a complication before going back to basics with a time-only model. Launched in 2022, the Origine was well-suited to the prevailing taste for well-finished time-only watches. With Origine production in the rearview, Mr Pinaud has moved back in the direction of additional complexity with his first tourbillon. For fans of Sylvain Pinaud — and artisanal watchmaking in general — the well-executed Tourbillon leaves little room for complaint. That said, it’s liable to be criticised for the simple fast that it looks a lot like the Origine. Indeed, the two watches could hardly look more similar — a fact that limits the Tourbillon’s ‘shock and awe’ factor. At launch, I noted that the Tourbillon costs more than double that of the time-only Origine. That’s arguably a big ask relative to the additional complexity of the tourbillon regulator, but the cost basis is probably a moot point given collector appetite for independent watchmaking and the...

Nine new references, a better bracelet, and the Spring Drive UFA making its way into classic Evo9 cases. Here's what actually changed. Grand Seiko Evolution 9 gets a 2026 refresh across nine references: new tapered bracelets, micro-adjust clasps, and Spring Drive UFA in classic Evo9 cases.

Hamilton recently kicked off its America 250 Roadshow in Charleston, South Carolina, but this past weekend it brought its traveling pop-up experience to Hudson Yards in NYC. This gathering brought together watch enthusiasts, curious passersby, and a healthy dose of military-inspired history. The traveling activation celebrates the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States while spotlighting one of Hamilton’s most enduring collections: the Khaki Field. Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1892, Hamilton’s story is deeply intertwined with American history. From keeping the nation’s railroads running on time to supplying over one million timepieces and marine chronometers to Allied forces during World War II, the brand’s reputation has long been built on precision and reliability. That heritage lives on today in the Khaki Field collection, which served as the centerpiece of this weekend’s Hudson Yards experience. Visitors were able to explore displays tracing the history of the Khaki Field line while getting hands-on with the new Khaki Field Mechanical 36mm America 250 Edition. Produced in a limited run of 1,776 pieces, the anniversary watch pays tribute to Hamilton’s military roots with vintage-inspired proportions and styling. Beyond the watches themselves, the pop-up offered plenty of opportunities to explore. A Hamilton watchmaker was on hand throughout the weekend, giving attendees an up-close look at the movements powering the brand’s mechanical watche...

It was about halfway through James Cameron's speech on the Rolex Landing at the new National Geographic Museum of Exploration in Washington, D.C., that I glanced up. There, suspended above my head, was a familiar yellow object. To the uninitiated (and less nerdy), it might look like an alien spaceship from a low-budget sci-fi film. But I knew what it was immediately: Jacques Cousteau's soucoupe, the diving saucer from his 1964 documentary, "World Without Sun."  As I listened to Cameron go on about his descent to Challenger Deep, I looked around at all these incredible objects—there was the bathysphere that William Beebe climbed into and descended to over 3,000 feet in 1934. Down the hall, the Maruti Suzuki 4x4 used by Sandesh Kadur to track wildlife in India, its tires still muddy.  A dugout canoe, once upended by a hippo, used by Steve Boyes while searching for the source of the Zambezi. A Chinese terra cotta warrior. And a one-atmosphere JIM suit like the one in which Dr. Sylvia Earle walked 1,000 feet deep on the ocean floor. For a student of exploration history like me, this was nothing short of nirvana. Rolex has been a supporting partner to the National Geographic Society since 1954. Those were halcyon days for exploration and the introduction of Rolex's most legendary tool watches—the Explorer, the Submariner, and the GMT-Master. The names Rolex and National Geographic have been intertwined ever since, and I, for one, recall seeing those great print ads in the...

Grand Seiko has announced a major refresh in their Evolution 9 collection across multiple metals and movements, and incorporating enthusiast favorite dial designs. A total of nine new watches have been announced as part of the update, and together they serve as what appears to be a new standard for Grand Seiko’s flagship collection. There’s a lot to chew on here, and depending on what interests you about Grand Seiko (or where you feel they have shortcomings) a number of different aspects of this update might be what draws you in. Everything they’ve announced, though, represents tangible improvement over what came before.  First, the news that many enthusiasts will probably zero in on immediately: Grand Seiko’s micro-adjustable clasp now appears to be standard. After introducing it last year in a limited fashion, there were plenty of gripes about backwards compatibility and options for the future. The message here seems to be that the more heavily tapered bracelet with micro-adjustment built into the clasp will be a regular feature across Evolution 9 watches. Importantly, for these releases, that applies to both 37mm and 40mm references.  Grand Seiko is also standardizing their premium alloys in steel and titanium in the Evolution 9 collection. Of the new watches introduced this week, the seven in steel are all in Grand Seiko’s Ever-Brilliant Steel alloy, which has a more lustrous shine and shows off Grand Seiko’s finishing more dramatically than standard stee...

Every summer, hundreds of classic cars take to the Alpine roads of Austria’s Montafon region for the Silvretta Classic. This rally has become a regular fixture in Union Glashütte‘s calendar too, with the German brand releasing a dedicated limited edition almost every year. The Viro Chronograph Silvretta Classic 2023, with its bicompax layout, was followed […]

Zinédine Zidane is football (soccer) royalty in France. Having played for his home country in the World Cup three times, he led Les Bleus to victory in 1998 and made the final in 2006, winning the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.  Photo credit: Alex Teuscher Before becoming a manager coach at Real Madrid, Zidane, known as 'Zizou', also had a prestigious career in professional soccer as an attacking midfielder at a host of European clubs, including Juventus. Widely regarded as one of the best players in history, he rose to prominence early in his career in the French Ligue 1 at FC Girondins de Bordeaux. And it was in Bordeaux that Zidane bought his first proper watch, a Cartier Pasha. Now that watch will be sold at a charity auction for ELA International as part of the Watches For ELA auction by Christie's on November 9 in Geneva. Zidane has been a supporter of ELA International - the European Leukodystrophies Association - for a quarter century. The non-profit organization is dedicated to defeating leukodystrophies—rare, genetic diseases that destroy the central nervous system. They fund medical research, support affected families, raise public awareness, and advocate for universal newborn screening. With the 2026 World Cup in full swing and on North American soil, we asked Zidane about his passion for watches, his support for ELA International, and why this Cartier has special meaning for the French soccer legend.   Zidane's Cartier Pasha.Photo credit: Al...

ATOWAK draws inspiration from Mars exploration to develop its Mars Age model series, which features a rotating time display.

We visited the Indian watchmaking giant Titan in their headquarters in Bengaluru and their manufacture in Hosur. And attended the launch of the Jalsa.

What We Know If the current generation of Jaeger-LeCoultre's Polaris didn't quite do it for you, namely in the 42mm case sizes across the board in the Polaris lineup, this new 40mm version of the Polaris Date might just be a more compelling option. The new 40mm steel case is not only smaller in diameter, but actually thinner too, measuring 12.9mm compared to 13.92mm with the 42mm casing. No, it doesn't make for a slim time-and-date watch, but it's still an improvement for the sporty case. The new diameter, paired with an already compact lug profile, means that this version of the Polaris should be quite wearable for an even smaller subset of wrists now. Dial-wise, this 40mm Polaris Date uses the same lacquered fumé blue dial as the 42mm version, with a dramatically gradient sunray-brushed center section surrounded by a snailed minutes track and an outer grained section for the applied markers and date window. The inner bezel, complete with orange accents, is controlled through the second crown at 4 o'clock and can be used to track elapsed time. But while the dial doesn't offer anything new in the way of color, there are actually two small details modified from the 42mm version that I think are major improvements.  First is the positioning of the Jaeger-LeCoultre logo, now placed in the center brushed section rather than crammed right underneath the "12" markers in the 42mm version. And thankfully, "Automatique" is now gone from the dial, leaving only "Swiss Made" at the ...

One of the most distinctive indie brands on the scene today, it’s impossible to mistake a De Bethune watch. Some of the signature aesthetic clues, developed by master watchmaker and co-founder Denis Flageollet, are heat-treated titanium components and random guilloché patterns. As a counterweight to the more futuristic and flagship DB28 family, the more classical […]

ArtyA’s latest sapphire Purity Tourbillon Sport Edition lets owners change the watch’s colour through interchangeable gaskets and straps.