Hodinkee
Introducing: Zenith Teams Up With Kari Voutilainen And Phillips To Bring Its Historic Caliber 135-O Back To Life
The reborn Zenith Caliber 135 Observatoire is a limited edition of 10 pieces, available exclusively through Phillips.
832 articles · 145 videos found · page 10 of 33
Hodinkee
The reborn Zenith Caliber 135 Observatoire is a limited edition of 10 pieces, available exclusively through Phillips.
Time+Tide
I first encountered Norqain in the metal at the COUTURE Watch & Jewellery show in Las Vegas. I had heard of the brand prior, and one of the headlining aspects of their watches are their manufacture calibers developed with Kenissi – the same movement developer that Tudor, Chanel, and Breitling use. As we saw in … ContinuedThe post Is the new Norqain Adventure NEVEREST GMT 41mm better than the Tudor BBGMT? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
With hope on the horizon, and borders hopefully beginning to open, the relevance of GMT and world timer complications is bit by bit returning. Heck, if you are like me, a part of an international team, than the GMT complication does come in handy even now when coordinating Zoom calls. Regardless of circumstance, it is … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Horage Supersede aims to deliver unprecedented value with new K2 micro-rotor GMT caliber appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Having introduced a new design language along with the all-new, automatic 9SA5 last year, Grand Seiko is now doing the same for the Spring Drive. The watchmaker has debuted a pair of Heritage Collection Seiko 140th Anniversary Limited Editions, the “Minamo” SLGA007 in steel and the “Tree Rings” SLGA008 in rose gold. Both are powered by the 9RA2 that’s part of the family of latest-generation Spring Drive movements first seen last year in the Grand Seiko Diver 600 m SLGA001. Just 5 mm high, the slimness of the 9RA5 means the pair of new models are the thinnest Grand Seiko Spring Drive watches to date. Initial thoughts The new models are essentially Spring Drive versions of the self-winding Heritage models launched last year (including an ultra-luxe platinum version and the more recent “White Birch”). That’s a good thing for two reasons. One is the intrinsic appeal of the design, which is vintage inspired and appealing, packaged in a case that’s a good size and easily wearable. And the other is the increased consistency in styling between Grand Seiko’s Spring Drive and automatic models, doing away with the confusing distinction between movements and designs. The “Minamo” SLGA007 in steel But that’s also the downside for the buyers of the limited-edition models (either these or the automatics), since the design has been replicated as a standard-production watch with the automatic movement, and the same will surely be done for the new 9RA2 Spring Dr...
Time+Tide
Whenever I hear a new Grand Seiko is being released, I get all giddy inside. Like a child hoping to find a Nintendo Switch under the tree on Christmas morning, Grand Seiko novelties are highly anticipated by fans worldwide – and fortunately they never disappoint. We recently covered the 60th anniversary limited edition Grand Seiko … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Grand Seiko SLGH005 brings the 9SA5 to standard production in steel appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Video
Recently I shared a video on the untold story of how Seiko went from watch world underdog outsider to completely taking over the industry and nearly destroying the Swiss in the process, all through the lens of their g...
SJX Watches
Marco Lang is now an independent watchmaker in the literal sense, having left Lang & Heyne last year. He’s set up a one-man workshop in his hometown of Dresden, and has just announced the first watch of his newly-established eponymous brand – Marco Lang Mr Lang’s first creation is the Zweigesicht-1, a highly-finished, time-only wristwatch with a few novel twists. Zwei gesicht is a literal description of the watch, translating as “two face” – the watch has the time display on both sides, with easily removable lugs that allow it to be worn on either side. The Zweigesicht-1 worn movement side up Initial thoughts As a watchmaker known for a devotion to old-school quality, Mr Lang’s second act promised to be noteworthy. The Zweigesicht-1 appears to live up to expectations, being a simple watch executed in an elaborate manner and finished by hand to a high standard. Harsh sounding to non-German speakers, the Zweigesicht-1 is ironically intricately constructed and finished. But unlike his earlier work that was modelled on pocket watch movements, the Caliber ml-01 looks modern and original, while still incorporating finely-shaped components as well as gears made of solid, 14k gold. The contrast of the steel bridges against the rose gold-plated base plate is jarring – especially with the aggressively pointed bridges with border outlines – but there’s not mistaking the quality, even in images, because Mr Lang knows what he’s doing. The chapter ring for the ...
Time+Tide
Grand Seiko has been a true value proposition for collectors since its rebirth, providing some of the highest quality watches for your dollar. Many have had some contention with the inevitable reality that the brand would eventually go further upmarket, anxious that their latest and greatest technical innovations would be out of reach of the … ContinuedThe post Celebrate! The Grand Seiko SLGH003 brings the mind-bending dual impulse escapement in the 9SA5 movement to steel appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Putting on my Speedmaster Professional 50th anniversary this morning, I couldn’t help but reflect and smile on the huge announcement from Omega. The decade has just begun and Omega dropped a bombshell with the announcement of the Omega Speedmaster Caliber 321 in stainless steel. By now, you would have read that this particular watch was … ContinuedThe post An Omega fan responds to the release of the Omega Speedmaster Caliber 321 (and addresses the 20K elephant in the room) appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
Ask any watchmaker about the Rolex 31 family of calibers and the story will be the same: it has stood the test of time. Ashton Tracy hasn’t met a single watchmaker who doesn’t love working on these workhorse Rolex movements. They are easy to service, keep great time, and stand up to abuse. Put simply: they work. So how does it stand up to big brother, Caliber 3235? Find out right here!
Worn & Wound
Earlier this year, I got a whole new appreciation for the Nomos Metro after sitting down with its creator, Mark Braun. The collection first came into the Nomos catalog back in 2014 and debuted the brand’s proprietary swing escapement system, which was developed over seven years with the Fraunhofer Institute and TU Dresden. Form was equally important to function in the original design, featuring a galvanized and silver-plated dial with a soft white color punctuated by black, red, and green markings in an arrangement that subtly played with asymmetry. Over the past 12 years, the Metro has gone on to take many other forms – some ditching the asymmetry by removing the power reserve indicator and shifting the Nomos logo to 12 o’clock and others ditching the white dial for full color alongside versions in rose gold as well as special editions for select markets. Today, we get the next evolution with the Metro Date Power Reserve Ice Blue. True to the collection’s DNA, this new incarnation offers new details both aesthetic and technical, including a brand-new mechanical caliber.With the latest addition to the Metro lineup, we see Nomos continue to use this collection as a launch point for new technical advancements. It marks the first model in the Nomos catalog to house the new hand-wound caliber DUW 4701, which offers a patented quick-set date and a power reserve of up to 52 hours. This entirely new movement continues the story of mechanical innovation that began with the...
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On this channel, we review watches that are available for purchase on TeddyBaldassarre.com
Hodinkee
What We Know If you asked me to pick a watch from the catalog that best represents the small but mighty German brand Nomos Glashütte, I'd probably choose the Metro Date Power Reserve. Sure, it's not the distinctive Tangente, nor is it a simple Club Campus. But I think the Metro Date Power Reserve embodies so much of what makes the brand special to me—a beautifully considered, minimalist design by designer Mark Braun, a splash of color to make it interesting, a quirky power reserve indicator, and an in-house manually wound movement with the finishing you'd expect from the brand. That's why I bought mine a few years ago, and I've enjoyed it ever since. However, unlike many other watches in the lineup, the Metro Date Power Reserve is a tricky model to recommend to friends, especially those just starting out in this dangerously addictive space. That's because for all that the watch delivers, it has its Achilles' heel in the form of a non-quickset date. Yes, that means that if you haven't worn the watch in a while and the date is off a bit, you'll need to keep moving the hands back and forth past midnight to advance the date every single time. If you're fifteen days out, it gets tedious, and there's no way around it except to accept that your watch shows the wrong date. Luckily, after more than a decade in production, the model gets a new refresh. Today, Nomos brings a new in-house caliber, DUW 4701, to power the new generation of Metro Date Power Reserve. Most importantly, ...
Worn & Wound
Roger Dubuis’ latest releases at Watches and Wonders are steeped in the brand’s history. For the occasion, the maison introduces two complicated pieces – a perpetual calendar and day-date calendar – each in the brand’s patented biretrograde display. Prior to founding his namesake maison, Mr. Roger Dubuis was a prolific watchmaker for several brands, from Patek Philippe to Longines. One such project came in 1989 when he and fellow watchmaker Jean-Marc Wiederrecht collaboratively pioneered and patented their famous biretrograde display, which reworked the traditional concept and made it more streamlined. This approach eased assembly and improved the stability and readability of the hands on the ecliptic retrograde counters. Soon after, the pair engineered a double retrograde perpetual calendar module, which was notably used in a timepiece for Harry Winston. A year after the brand’s official founding, Roger Dubuis introduced its own biretrograde display timepiece and later the perpetual calendar complication in its iconic Sympathie and Homage collections. Today, we see the next evolution of these concepts highlighted in a rather modestly sized 40mm version of its Excalibur line. The Excalibur Biretrograde Perpetual Calendar is notably powered by an entirely new movement: the RD850. Here, the maison builds upon the work set forth four decades ago with a self-winding caliber built from 435 components in-house at Roger Dubuis’ Geneva manufacture. A key functional i...
Hodinkee
The Time Jumper is Czapek's first jump-hour watch and features a half-hunter case, a nod to the brand's pocket-watch legacy, in both gold and steel.
Teddy Baldassarre
The year 2025 marks 160 years since the founding of Zenith in Le Locle, Switzerland, back in 1865. As watchmaking brands are wont to do, Zenith is commemorating this milestone by putting forward a watch for the occasion that’s representative of its storied history, as well as its own contemporary identity. Now, as Watches & Wonders 2025 kicks off, we are clear on how the brand aims to celebrate the occasion, and its chosen vehicle is a new collection inspired by Zenith’s own founder, complete with an update on its storied Caliber 135, which breathes fresh life into an old favorite movement. These are the conditions in which the rising star of the G.F.J. collection joins Zenith’s constellation. At the tail end of the 19th century, the mounting competition within the watch industry brought about a new standard of gauging the accuracy of movements, and watchmakers began employing observatory trials to signal to customers that their products were as accurate as possible. This was also at a time in which highly accurate timepieces were necessary for successful marine navigation. Before the COSC certification standards that are so rigidly defined today were coded, individual movements would be sent to observatories, where they would undergo testing procedures, as well as competitions for chronometry prices. Zenith details that it had been routinely entering chronometry trials as early as 1897. And, because a bit of healthy bragging is appropriate with brag-worthy achieveme...
Worn & Wound
Norqain has just unveiled what is certainly their biggest release of the year, and quite possibly their most ambitious release since the debut of the Wild One two years ago. The new Independence Skeleton Chronograph expands on the design language we saw take shape with the Wild One, and introduces a new, skeletonized, flyback chronograph mechanism. The new watch is conceived as something of a statement piece, meant to highlight what the brand thinks of as their independent spirit, and launches in two variants that illustrate where a full collection of watches powered by this new caliber could potentially go. The movement at the center of this release has been dubbed the 8K Manufacture Calibre, and features flyback functionality, a tool that was first developed for chronographs used by pilots to time flight related intervals. Flyback functionality allows a running chronograph to be reset to zero instantaneously without first stopping it, so it’s a useful tool for anyone that needs to time multiple intervals in rapid succession (it has gained wide adoption in sporting contexts through the decades). The execution of this particular movement appears to have all of the hallmarks of a solid, modern chronograph movement, including a power reserve stretching to 62 hours, as well as a column wheel. The 8K caliber is also chronometer certified. It’s also worth noting that the 8K movement was developed in partnership with Manufacture AMT, a division of Sellita known for creat...
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Worn & Wound
French watchmaker Henry-Louis Belmont established Yema in 1948 and quickly became known for manufacturing ultra-capable tool watches. By 1954 their production reached 130,000 watches and by the mid 1960s they were selling over 400,000 watches annually in 55 countries. Their motto “Time of Heroes” became their official slogan, and their watches were particularly suitable for diving, car racing, and military expeditions. Today, Yema is experiencing a resurgence and is introducing a new modern interpretation of their iconic Skin Diver. The Skin Diver Slim CMM.20 is not just another pretty face. Beneath the beautiful dark grey dial beats their in-house Calibre Manufacture Morteau 20 movement (CMM.20). It is rated for accuracy at -3/+7 seconds a day, has a power reserve of 70 hours, and is extra slim due to its micro-rotor. The watch measures 39mm in diameter, 47mm from lug-to-lug, and only 10mm tall to the top of the double-domed sapphire crystal. Despite being relatively thin, it is water-resistant to an impressive depth of 300 meters. Adding to its vintage styling is a dark grey, faded bezel insert covered by sapphire glass. Its lume pip, along with all the lume on the dial and markers, has that aged radium look, which complements the design very well. The watch comes mounted on a new slimmer Yema Scales bracelet, which integrates better with the Skin Diver’s slimmer profile. The screw-down case back offers a transparent view of the movement, featuring a black ALD (ato...
Monochrome
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Grand Seiko‘s introduction of the 9R movement, featuring its revolutionary Spring Drive technology. The concept, conceived in the 1970s and which took decades to implement, aimed to blend the force of a mainspring with electronic watchmaking technology and surpass the precision of conventional mechanical watches. Now, 9R-family calibres […]
Hodinkee
In this video, we head up to Manfredi Jewels in Greenwich, CT, to talk about this, and see why now more than ever we need qualified repairmen via a detailed look at servicing one of the most iconic timepieces in history – the Omega Speedmaster.
Worn & Wound
Collective Horology, the private watch club/independent brand retailer/producer of thoughtful limited editions, is back with their latest release in an ongoing series of collaborations. This time, they’re working with Montblanc, tapping into the brand’s association with the historic Minerva manufacture, maker of some of the most important chronograph calibers in the history of watchmaking. The 1858 Minerva Monopusher Chronograph “Blue Arrow” P.05 is a high end “What if…?” hypothetical come to life, and a great showcase for a truly special movement. As with all Collective limited editions, this one is something more than a reissue or a tweaked colorway. It exists to tell a specific story about the brand in a way that can often only be done from the outside. According to Collective, the seed of inspiration for the P.05 came from Eric Wind, or more specifically a watch in his case at the 2022 Windup Watch Fair. That year, Eric brought a Minerva stopwatch to the show, and it reminded Collective founders Gabe Reilly and Asher Rapkin of Minerva’s sporting roots, opening up a series of entirely new design possibilities. The 1858 Monopusher Chronograph that Collective and Montblanc came up with drew on the sportier design cues from that stopwatch, including the colors, finishing techniques, and the case material (robust stainless steel, of course). The end result is a chronograph that has many key vintage inspired design elements that are core to Montblanc and Mi...
Worn & Wound
A few years ago, one of the most discussed topics on watch forums, Instagram, and indeed in the Worn & Wound office, was the huge opportunity and desire among enthusiasts for a new crop of affordable GMTs with local jumping hour capability. For a time, it seemed that small watch brands could not keep up with demand for so-called “caller” GMTs with independently set 24 hour hands, but these watches are in fact massively inconvenient for travel, even though, in most cases, they were marketed and sold as watches tailor made for crossing time zones. A watch with an hour hand that reads local time and can be jumped quickly without hacking the movement is the ultimate in terms of travel functionality (with or without the ability to track home time, in my opinion), and there was a time not too long ago where it was thought that a watch with this feature deployed by microbrands in watches under $1,000 might be nothing less than a paradigm shift in the hobby. Well, we’re fully there, folks. The Miyota 9075 exists, and has been popping up in new watches from some of our favorite small brands for the better part of a year, and now Lorier has dropped it into a pair of GMT equipped watches, finally making them the dedicated travel companions many hoped they could be. The Hyperion is what Lorier describes as “the archetypal GMT,” fitting a well established mold of classic travel watches by Rolex and others. It has deep vintage vibes, with a red and blue 24 hour bezel, gilt a...
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On this channel, we review watches that are available for purchase on TeddyBaldassarre.com
Hodinkee
Zenith's mid-2000s flagship chronograph receives new tenth-of-a-second duds.
Hodinkee
Norqain's newest watch is the first to feature a movement from Tudor manufacturer Kenissi.
Worn & Wound
A. Lange & Söhne had one of my, and many others’, favorite releases at Watches & Wonders 2025. It wasn’t a super complication and had no bells-and-whistles. Rather, it was simple and small. The 34mm 1815 three-handers in white or rose gold exemplified confident, understated luxury like no other watches at the fair. For 2026, Lange has brought back a watch that had been out of production with a new movement and in a new, smaller size, following suit from last year’s release. Unlike the 1815s, these feature one of the less common complications in the Lange catalog: the annual calendar. The Saxonia Annual Calendar was a very cool watch. It combined its eponymous complication with Lange’s signature outsized date and was powered by a since-retired “Sax-0-Mat” three-quarter-rotor automatic movement. These funky movements were featured in the Langematik watches and represented Lange’s first foray into automatic calibers. In addition to a distinctive look, they featured a hidden complication: zero-reset seconds, meaning that when the crown was pulled out, the seconds hand would jump to zero. In 2011, the Sax-O-Mats began to be replaced by central rotor calibers with up to 72 hours of power reserve, an increase from 46 hours, but the zero-reset seconds disappeared. Though comprising many different calibers, most of Lange’s currently in-production automatics have a central rotor. I am unsure when the previous generation of the Saxonia Annual Calendar went out of pro...
Hodinkee
Smaller-wristed fans of in-house calibers, rejoice!
Revolution
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