Results for Pie Pan Dial

The Case for Quartz Luxury Watches: Featuring F.P. Journe, Grand Seiko, and Accutron

When starting out on a watch journey, one of the first questions to consider is the choice between quartz and automatic watches, with the perception that mechanical watches are "better" and more expensive, while quartz watches are entry-level and lower quality. While this may hold some truth, luxury brands also produce high-end quartz pieces that are equally impressive from a technological standpoint. 

VIDEO: Bvlgari’s Antoine Pin presents brand new Octo Roma timepieces for Spring 2023

Hands-On: I Want The All-New F.P. Journe Vagabondage To Lock Me Up And Throw Away The Key

The indie superstar's 2022 hero piece highlights the influence of early 2000s watchmaking.

Split Decision, The Sequel: Patek Philippe Reference 5370P vs. A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante Honeygold Chronographs: An Owner’s Perspective

For reasons GaryG still doesn’t fully understand, he has long been drawn to chronographs. One nice thing he finds about comparing the Patek Philippe Reference 5370 against the A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante Honeygold Homage to F.A. Lange is that it’s a fair fight between two purpose-built single rattrapante chronographs of classical construction. Here he puts them head to head.

The Sonnerie Souveraine By F.P. Journe: A Legend In Its Own Time - Reprise

One of the most incredible timepieces François-Paul Journe has ever created is the Sonnerie Souveraine. This chiming masterpiece took six years to develop and warranted ten patents. Joshua Munchow revisits the reasons why this masterpiece and its maker are legends in their own time, while Ian Skellern provides original photography and video of the stainless steel-encased grande sonnerie.

Montblanc’s High Artistry Pen Celebration Of The Taj Mahal

Nancy Olson was looking forward to seeing what Montblanc had in store for its newest High Artistry collection and found that the 2019 Celebration of the Taj Mahal is lavish and artistic as the three bejeweled one-of-a-kind pieces highlighted here demonstrate.

Introducing the F.P. Journe Astronomic Blue for Only Watch 2019

A young Francois-Paul Journe created his sixth ever watch in 1987; it was an “astronomic planetary watch”, a pocket watch with faces on each side. Over three decades later that has been reimagined as the Astronomic Blue, a prototype grand complication made for Only Watch 2019. Mentioned by Mr Journe in an interview late last year, the Astronomic Blue is a hand-wound wristwatch with astronomical functions on two faces, as well as a minute repeater and tourbillon with remontoir d’egalite. The complications total 18, and are powered by a movement made up of 758 parts, making it more complex than the Sonnerie Souveraine. The astronomic planetary watch of 1987, signed “Journe à Paris” Like the preceding F.P. Journe watches made for Only Watch, namely the tourbillon and split-seconds, the Astronomic Blue has a tantalum case and mirrored blue dial like that found on the Chronometre Bleu. The case is 44mm in diameter and 13.75mm high, making it comparable in size to the discontinued Sonnerie Souverain and recent Tourbillon Souverain Vertical. Remembering 1987 As with many of Mr Journe’s early creations, the pocket watch was inspired by both Abraham-Louis Breguet and George Daniels, a quality that is echoed in the Astronomic Blue. Like the George Daniels Space Traveller, the front shows sidereal and mean solar time on two symmetrically arranged sub-dials, while the reverse has a ring-type annual calendar and equation of time indicator, which is reminiscent of the...

The F.P. Journe Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante for Only Watch 2017

Harder, Faster, Stronger: The New Panerai Calibre P.1000

I assembled the new Panerai movement the other day. I wish there was a way to rephrase that sentence so I could accurately convey how challenging I found it to be. To be absolutely fair, it was at the end of a long week. You may think that Watches & Wonders is more chilled out […]

Harder Better Faster Stronger - What The New Panerai Calibre P.1000 Did To Me And Will Do To You Too

I assembled the new Panerai movement the other day. I wish there was a way to rephrase that sentence so I could accurately convey how challenging I found it to be. To be absolutely fair, it was at the end of a long week. You may think that Watches & Wonders is more chilled out […]

Pre-Baselworld 2013: Corum Ti-Bridge Automatic Dual Winder

In 2011, Corum debuted a stunning world-first with the Golden Bridge Automatic movement, the self-winding cal. C0 313. For the first time in the history of wristwatches, a movement incorporated a linear oscillating weight, shuttling parallel to the baguette movement on guide rails to wind the mainspring. Although the La Chaux-de-Fonds watch company has kept its […]

Ruby Resonance from Armin Strom

Independent watchmaker Armin Strom has upgraded its flagship complication with a precious stone dial. The Mirrored Force Resonance Ruby is a five-piece limited edition with a dial cut from natural ruby. Initial thoughts Armin Strom is arguably the second-most prominent watchmaker (after F.P. Journe) to successfully bring “resonance” watches to market. We extensively covered the subject of coupled oscillator watches recently, which examines Armin Strom’s unique approach to achieving this mysterious effect.  Within this narrow niche, Armin Strom’s Mirrored Force series is certainly the broadest collection of resonance watches on the market, with multiple movements and many variations exploiting the almost magic coupling between two sprung balances. This new limited edition employs the familiar in-house caliber ARF21, which connects the two hairspring by a long, swivelling blade spring - dubbed the Resonance Clutch Spring. While the movement is certainly well known, this particular iteration of the watch is quite surprising: a thin slice of natural ruby serves as the dial, with all the imperfections and liveliness of a natural mineral.  Using a ruby dial is not only aesthetically appealing but poetic for a mechanical watch. The jewels serving as bearings inside every movement are synthetic rubies - a fancy sort of industrial mineral glass. The uneven bright pink and violet shades of the Mirrored Force Resonance Ruby’s dial assure us there is nothing artificial...

Studio Underd0g Launches The 03Series With A Dial Inspired By A Salmon’s Shimmering Skin

We all know the world is divided between people who like salmon skin and those who don’t. Whenever I prepare salmon at home for my family, I make sure to buy the kind with the skin still attached. I heat the butter in the frying pan, add the salmon skin side down, and let it […] Visit Studio Underd0g Launches The 03Series With A Dial Inspired By A Salmon’s Shimmering Skin to read the full article.

Announcement: New Faces Join the SJX Editorial Team

I am pleased to end the year with new additions to the team – Brandon Moore and David Ichim. Both occasional contributors before, Brandon and David will now become regular, exclusive contributors. Brandon’s writings explore the diversity of watchmaking and watch collecting. Amongst his recent stories are a visit to F.P. Journe’s manufacture, as well as its dial- and case-making facility. Brandon also recounted his experience learning traditional engine turning at a guilloche workshop by Nico Cox. And scheduled for January 2024: his story covering a visit to Akrivia’s workshops in Geneva. David’s contributions are more technically oriented, with the most recent being a detailed analysis of the F.P. Journe Chronomètre Optimum that explains why it might be the ultimate F.P. Journe chronomètre. A freshly-eroded remontoir spring at the F.P. Journe manufacture At the same time, Russell Sheldrake will be departing in early February 2024 – we wish him well. Finally, Oliver R. Müller of LuxeConsult is no longer a contributor to SJX Watches. He contributed a handful of articles from 2020 to 2023; these articles are no longer available on the site. Mr Müller is no longer associated with us in any form. Any queries can be directed to us via the contact form.  

Highlights: Independent Watchmaking at Sotheby’s Hong Kong

Sotheby’s autumn sale season takes place in early October, led by Important Watches I, a live auction in Hong Kong. The 249-lot sale is diverse but especially impressive in three categories, namely avant-garde complications, unorthodox sports watches, as well as independent watchmaking. We have round a magnificent seven of the “indies”, which naturally includes a Philippe Dufour Simplicity – 34 mm and guilloche dial – along with several limited-edition watches from F.P. Journe, now perhaps the establishment independent brand, and also a few more timepieces that are arguably underrated and potentially value-buys. Important Watches I starts at 10:00 am (GMT +8) on October 5, 2022. Registration for bidding and the full catalogue can be accessed here. Lot 2178: Philippe Dufour Simplicity 34 mm A watchmaker famed for his unmatched focus on movement decoration, Philippe Dufour has only produced a handful of models across a five-decade career, but is often regarded as one of the greats thanks to his artisanal approach to classic Vallee de Joux watchmaking. While he’s made more complex watches, he is perhaps best known for the Simplicity, a fuss-free, time-only watch that does only one thing but does it well: impeccable movement finishing. Going under hammer at Sotheby’s is a classic example of the Simplicity, one that’s almost identical to the one Mr Dufour himself wears. Well suited to purists, this example is 34 mm, white gold, and fitted with a guilloche ...

Wei Goes Hands-On With Patek’s 2021 Novelties

Wei Koh runs us through the freshly announced Patek Philippe Ref. 5236P In-Line Perpetual Calendar, along with the 6119 Calatrava “Clous de Paris”, the steel 4947/1A Annual Calendar and, of course, the end of series 5711 with the olive green dial.

Atelier Wen x Massena Lab Inflection Shuò: Tantalum, Gold Dials, and a Very Smart Collaboration

The Inflection gets a Geneva Watch Days 2026 upgrade, with Massena Lab bringing two gold dial variants to an already serious tantalum sports watch

GRØNE Horologium: the Grönefeld brothers drop two new dials on their €2,390 three-hander

GRØNE, the brothers' separate brand from the Grönefeld haute-horlogerie atelier, launches the Horologium in two variants. 39mm steel, La Joux-Perret manual, salmon or Dutch-orange dial, 188 pieces per variant, €2,390 ex VAT. Order window opens 13 August.

Blancpain Villeret Ultraplate 38mm: Smaller Case, Softer Dials, Better Proportions

Blancpain shrinks its ultra-thin dress watch to 38mm and debuts a first-ever sunburst salmon dial for the Villeret line

Rolex Datejust Green Ombré Lacquer Dials: The Quiet Hit of Watches and Wonders

Rolex's first fully lacquered ombré dial lands on the Datejust 36 and 41. The references involved, how the dial is built, and why this one keeps selling out before it lands in display cases.

Piaget leans into stone dials for Watches and Wonders 2026

Piaget flexes its stone dial mastery at Watches and Wonders 2026, debuting a new Polo 79 Sodalite, Polo Perpetual Calendar Onyx, and more.The post Piaget leans into stone dials for Watches and Wonders 2026 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

This Affordable Stone Dial Watch Proves You Don’t Need a Luxury Budget

An affordable stone dial watch that prioritizes design, wearability, and restraint over luxury hype-without a five-figure price tag.

Introducing: Four New Baltic Prismic Stone Dials

The stone dial craze shows no signs of stopping any time soon, and Baltic is throwing its hat into the ring again with new, unique colors.

Introducing: The Lebois & Co Heritage Chronograph Atelier “Coquille d’œuf” - A Souscription Watch With A Grand Feu Enamel Dial

The Lebois & Co Heritage Chronograph Atelier “Coquille d’œuf” honors the Métiers d’Art of Swiss watchmaking with its Grand Feu enamel dial - and what a dial it is! As 2025 marks the brand’s 90th anniversary, this is undoubtedly a celebratory watch. If you want it, you pay a little up front, the brand starts […] Visit Introducing: The Lebois & Co Heritage Chronograph Atelier “Coquille d’œuf” - A Souscription Watch With A Grand Feu Enamel Dial to read the full article.

Introducing: An Icy New White-Dial Variant Of The 39mm Longines Legend Diver

The 39mm Longines Legend Diver is one of those rare watches that all of us at Fratello HQ like. While most watches spark at least some kind of debate among Fratello editors, the Legend Diver is universally admired. So when Longines releases a new dial variant, we pay attention, especially when it is a crisp […] Visit Introducing: An Icy New White-Dial Variant Of The 39mm Longines Legend Diver to read the full article.

The Best Grand Seiko Dials

If there’s one thing Grand Seiko is known for, it is its textured dials….and Spring Drive…and Zaratsu polishing... Okay, one of the things Grand Seiko is known for is its textured dials. Often inspired by the beauty of the natural landscape surrounding Grand Seiko's manufacture in Japan, these dials are now often imitated but never truly replicated. We asked our editorial team here at Teddy to choose their favorite GS dial and, unsurprisingly, we got some really stunning picks here. So, without further ado, here are our Editors’ Picks for favorite Grand Seiko dials. Bilal Khan: SBGA011/SBGA211 "Snowflake" The Grand Seiko SBGA211 (originally the SBGA011), aka the Snowflake, is where it all began. Back in 2004, the watchmakers at the dial workshop in the Shinshu watch studio were given a novel task: create a dial that would capture the beauty of the natural surroundings of where the Spring Drive movement was born. The answer was in front of their eyes when they gazed at the snow-capped mountains that commanded their views for half the year. Creating this dial was a challenge but they found inspiration from an old 56GS watch dating back to 1971, which had a texture similar to what the team wanted to achieve. It took some trial and error but they found success through a silver plating method that would go on to birth the now-iconic "Snowflake" dial. It might look somewhat demure and less dramatic than more recent textured dials, but this is the quintessential Grand Sei...

Hands-On: The Anoma A1 Slate With A Refined Dial

Last year, Anoma founder Matteo Violet-Vianello launched his first watch, the A1. The triangular timepiece earned quite some hype on social media, and he sold many A1s to the lucky people who pre-ordered one. A few weeks ago, Matteo presented the Anoma A1 Slate, a refined version of the same watch with a brushed, engraved, […] Visit Hands-On: The Anoma A1 Slate With A Refined Dial to read the full article.