767 articles · 25 videos found · page 10 of 27
Monochrome
Although it was never really gone, there seems to be a renaissance of the Jumping Hour, or Heures Sautante complication, and we’re quite delighted about this. There’s an interesting convergence in jump hour watches: the display is often simpler than a watch with central hands, but the mechanism behind it is quite challenging! Energy needs […]
Fratello
Vacheron Constantin unveils a new Overseas Tourbillon model with a captivating deep red sunburst dial. The aperture at 6 o’clock provides an unobstructed view of the tourbillon regulator, with the 22K gold peripheral rotor allowing light through the case back’s sapphire display. This model is the third iteration of the Overseas Tourbillon in a Grade […] Visit Vacheron Constantin Introduces A New Overseas Tourbillon In Titanium With A Deep Red Dial to read the full article.
Monochrome
Launched in 2021, the Tonda PF collection introduced a new vision of contemporary haute horlogerie built around restraint, proportion and what CEO Guido Terreni calls “private luxury”, watches designed to be lived with rather than constantly replaced. Among the first models was the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor, a slim automatic watch with a date display. The […]
SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet (AP) updates the Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph 38 mm with a new manufacture calibre, sapphire display back, while slightly tweaking the iconic design – and retaining the price of its predecessor. The new cal. 6401 comes with welcome quality-of-life improvements such as a longer power reserve and instantaneous date without tradeoffs in wearability, beat rate, or even cost, making this compact chronograph one of the most sensible and compelling offerings in the Royal Oak line. Initial Thoughts AP debuted the first Royal Oak chronograph in 1997 and it was powered by the Frederic Piguet cal. 1185, a landmark movement for automatic chronograph design. Now, nearly three decades later, AP is a true industrialised manufacture, and the cal. 1185 has been replaced with the new cal. 6401, a modern movement that with meaningful upgrades under the hood. This also comes with some minute tweaks to the dial and a crowd pleasing display case back, while the case and bracelet remain as excellent as always. Laudably, this comes without a significant price increase, with the new Royal Oak Chronograph 38 mm in steel costing only 3.6% more than its predecessor. New Engine AP’s new cal. 6401 is a solidly-spec’ed movement despite being small and thin for a modern chronograph. It’s wide and taller than the Frederic Piguet cal. 1185 but only slightly. It is 27 mm in diameter (up from 26.2 mm) and 5.7 mm tall (up from 5.5 mm) though even with the addition of a sapphire ...
SJX Watches
Ahead of its much anticipated Watches & Wonders return, Audemars Piguet (AP) has reached deep into its archives for what in past years would have been a [RE]Master model. But now AP has renamed its vintage reissues, and it is the Neo Frame Jumping Hour that takes inspiration from a similar guichet model from 1929. This perfectly timed launch comes at a time of renewed interest in the digital display format. Initial thoughts Each time an established brand launches a completely new collection, the public response can be either positive (think Rolex Land-Dweller) or underwhelming. AP has come face-to-face with this in the past with the Code 11.59, which was bold but not well received initially (though much of the early criticism can be chalked up to cynicism). That experience hasn’t stopped the brand from continuing to diversify its portfolio away from the Royal Oak, and the latest effort capitalises on the growing interest in guichet watches. In doing so, AP reimagines an obscure piece from its own past, adding strong touches of modern design to create something with a more distinctive visual identity than one might expect from a simple jumping hours watch. Though the Neo Frame nomenclature might take a while to enter the vernacular, the guichet design feels like it’s coming to market at the right time. Ironically, the sleek profile of the Neo Frame’s case looks much like a sports smart band - albeit much glossier. Specifically, the way the polished black face connec...
SJX Watches
Having previously collaborated with almost every major art museum in the world, from MoMA to the Louvre, Swatch has licensed four masterpieces of 20th-century art from the Guggenheim, including works on display in New York and Venice. Accessibly priced, non-limited and available online, the Swatch x Guggenheim collection brings works from Monet, Degas, Klee, and Pollock to a wrist near you. Initial thoughts Painted dials have a long history in watchmaking, but the difficult nature of the work meant that for most of history they remained out of reach for all but the wealthiest clientele. While hand-painted dials are vanishingly rare and breathtakingly expensive, modern production methods mean that legendary masterpieces can now be easily scaled down and mass produced. Swatch was a pioneer in this regard, introducing its first artist collaboration with Kiki Picasso in 1985, just two years after the company launched its revolutionary plastic watch. The Picasso collaboration was the first of many, and since then there’s hardly a major art museum that hasn’t licensed selected works to Swatch. The works selected for this collaboration come from two different Guggenheim collections. Three of them are famously on display at the Guggenheim New York, while the fourth may be seen at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice. The odd-looking double-length seconds hand is an homage to this transatlantic duality. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice. Functionally, the four quar...
Monochrome
We’re only about three weeks in, but the first annual watch fair is already behind us. LVMH Watch Week served up some very lovely new watches from within the LVMH group’s brands: Louis Vuitton, TAG Heuer, Bvlgari, Hublot, Zenith, Daniel Roth, Gérald Genta and Tiffany. And even though the amount of new watches on display […]
SJX Watches
TAG Heuer is growing its signature line of chronographs literally and figuratively with the Carrera Chronograph “Glassbox” 41 mm. Stylistically similar to its 39 mm counterpart, the new Carrera features a larger “Glassbox” case but is otherwise almost identical, right down to the pump pushers and TH20 automatic movement, though enthusiasts will like the fact that the date display has been eliminated. Initial thoughts The “Glassbox” case is a good starting point, being distinctive but not as unconventional as the Monaco. The Carrera is retro-inspired but of an entirely modern construction, with its bowl-shaped dial, raised flange, and domed crystal. One of my favourite characteristics of the Carrera is the model’s pump-style pushers that give it a distinctive profile. Large and welcoming, the pushers provide the impression of a chronograph built to be used. And the 41 mm has the upside of doing away with the date. While the larger case is arguably not as well suited to the retro case design, it is a good fit for the TH20 that’s a relatively thick calibre. So while bigger, the 41 mm model is better proportioned in some ways. Commercially, the logic of the 41 mm is clear as well, since larger watches do well in many of the markets where TAG Heuer is historically strong, like the United States and Australia. Notably, the 41 mm includes a similarly scaled up version of the versatile seven-link stainless steel bracelet found on the smaller model. It echoes a “b...
Monochrome
The independent watchmaking scene is not only important to MONOCHROME, but also gains the attention of an ever-growing number of people in the watch community. To us and probably to many of you, it’s the creative freedom, the attention to detail, the artisanal craftsmanship that’s more often than not on full display that excites us. […]
Fratello
The Gerald Charles Maestro line expands with two new Maestro 2.0 Meteorite models, both featuring dials cut from Muonionalusta meteorite. For the first time, the brand combines this material with a small-seconds display inside the familiar asymmetric Maestro case. The project began modestly, driven by the idea of placing a meteorite dial inside the Maestro […] Visit Introducing: Two New Meteorite-Dial Variants Of The Gerald Charles Maestro 2.0 to read the full article.
SJX Watches
A rare Breguet pocket watch with retrograde perpetual calendar and equation of time illustrates the evolution of the house from its founder’s era to the early 20th century, blending historical motifs with modern concessions. Made in 1932, Breguet No. 2492 is one of just four known examples from a series of equation of time movements produced over nearly five decades by the legendary workshops of Victorin Piguet. In short, it’s a watch with one foot in the 19th century and one in the early 20th. The transitional nature of the watch evidently resonated with collectors, as the watch recently sold for CHF241,300 at Phillips’ Geneva auction in November, some 20% above its high estimate. Context It might be surprising, but Abraham-Louis Breguet’s unexpected death in 1823 had no immediate effect on the firm’s output. The firm produced well over a hundred watches each year, which required a staff of skilled workers, as well as A.-L. Breguet’s family, who understood what a Breguet watch was, and could build one without being managed by the man himself. However, with the old guard’s retirement, and general decline of Parisian watchmaking, things slowly changed. After the Breguet family sold the firm in the late 19th century, turning instead to the more lucrative business of aviation, the firm’s output strayed from A.-L. Breguet’s vision, abandoning Breguet’s signature design language for a medley of styles catering to specific markets. During this time, the brand...
SJX Watches
Historically a complication associated with Svend Andersen, the pioneering independent who cofounded the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI), the world time has been reworked and added to the Venus 179 split-seconds chronograph movement to create the Rattrapante Mondiale. One of the most complicated offerings from Andersen Genève, the Rattrapante Mondiale features a clever two-level world time disc display while the cal. 179 inside is entirely finished by hand. Though the octogenarian Mr Andersen is now largely retired, Andersen Genève continues his artisanal approach to watchmaking that’s exemplified by the Rattrapante Mondiale. Initial thoughts Andersen Genève has produced a great many world time watches, but the Rattrapante Mondial is one of the most impressive. The movement is recognisably complicated, while the level of execution is high, especially for the movement and dial. Much of the work is also artisanal, as is typical for Andersen, which still operates out of Svend Andersen’s original premises. The Rattrapante Mondiale is appropriately sized for the design and movement, while the case styling is simple and good enough. Unusually, it’s a “destro” case with the crown on the left side and world time knob on the opposite side. The brand says it made left-handed cases for some one-off commissions in the past, but here it feels a little too much like an unnecessary affectation. It is also reminiscent of the Patek Philippe ref. 5373P...
Deployant
Beda'a celebrates Qatar's National Day with a new edition of their Eclipse - a watch with a sweeping digital hour display and floating minutes indication.
Teddy Baldassarre
Chronographs are one of the most popular and yet under-appreciated watches out there. While we might take them for granted due to the relative ease of finding a nice one at just about any price point, the watchmaking on display can be as impressive as that from more exotic complications. 2025 was a fantastic year for fans of the chronograph with Omega releasing a manual wind iteration of their sportier ceramic take on the Speedmaster. And then there’s Breguet, who have been on a roll all year. Let’s take a look at our favorite new chronographs for this year and while not all of them made the list, there are some particularly robust honorable mentions here. [toc-section heading="Longines Spirit Flyback Chronograph"] The Longines Spirit Flyback Chronograph was given a refresh that, in my opinion, puts it in the running for one of the best chronographs out there period. It was previously offered only in a 42mm case but now comes in a fantastic compact 39.5mm wide stainless steel case that comes in at a lug-to-lug height of just around 47.4mm. Of course, it’s not just the case diameter that matters, it’s also the thickness and the reduction from a hefty 17mm to 13.4mm is truly transformative. The L792.4 calibre movement is a manual wind take on the Valjoux 7750 that also gets a contemporary makeover with a silicon balance spring and COSC certification on top of the 68-hour power reserve. While the price of $5,350 on strap and $5,500 might not shout “value” to some,...
SJX Watches
One of the standout releases from Dubai Watch Week was the UR-Freak, a collaboration between Ulysse Nardin (UN) and Urwerk that embodies some of the most enduring motifs of each brand. More UN than Uwerk, the UR-Freak nonetheless incorporate’s the latter’s satellite wandering hours display, adapted to the Freak’s slow-moving flying tourbillon. A limited run of just 100 individually numbered pieces, the UR-Freak confers some of Urwerk’s disruptive cache to UN, a legacy brand celebrating its 180th anniversary next year. The wandering hours tourbillon To understand why the UR-Freak is such a compelling collaboration, one must understand what UN and Urwerk bring to the table, respectively. The UN Freak turns 25 in 2026, marking a quarter-century of the quirky tourbillon that introduced silicon to watchmaking. That innovation alone would have secured the Freak’s place in watchmaking history, but it was arguably more memorable for its unusual design that put much of the movement (including the escapement) on a rotating platform on the dial. The Freak One is an example of the typical Freak architecture. Ulysse Nardin refers to this architecture as a flying carousel, perhaps to differentiate the standard models from those with a nested tourbillon. Nomenclature aside, it’s technically a tourbillon by nature of its operation, which powers the escapement through a fixed-ring gear (which can be seen around the edge of the dial). In all previous Freak models to date, the mo...
SJX Watches
Patek Philippe has just revealed details about the Watch Art Grand Exhibition Milan 2026, which is set to take place in October 2026. The event marks the seventh edition of the brand’s large-scale public exhibition series, and its return to Europe following the most recent instalments in Tokyo, Singapore, and New York. The biggest yet With a display area covering 2,540 square metres, the exhibition will be the largest Watch Art event organised by Patek Philippe to date. As with previous events in the series, the exhibit will feature immersive replicas of the brand’s Salon on Geneva’s Rue du Rhône, the manufacture at Plan-les-Ouates, and the Patek Philippe Museum, all constructed under the dome of the Palazzo delle Scintille, now known as CityOval. For a taste of what’s in store, the Patek Philipe website still hosts an immersive experience of the 2022 edition in Tokyo. The exhibition will showcase the brand’s entire current collection, alongside a dedicated Rare Handcrafts selection comprising dome clocks, pocket watches, and wristwatches, with around 500 pieces in total on display. Artisans will also be on hand to demonstrate techniques like miniature enamel painting, cloisonné enamel, hand engraving, wood marquetry, guilloché, and gem-setting. As is customary for Watch Art exhibitions, the Milan event will see the launch of several limited-edition watches across different segments of the collection. The 2023 Tokyo exhibition, for instance, included a Rare Ha...
Hodinkee
A new limited edition with a three-level dial, regulator display, and polished steel case.
Monochrome
With the Inverto Titanium, independent watchmaking atelier Lederer refines the 2023 Central Impulse Chronometer InVerto, a large 44mm watch in a blackened case, into a compact, titanium-framed display of one of the most sophisticated escapement architectures in modern watchmaking. It’s a culmination of forty years of mechanical experimentation, distilled into 39mm of pure chronometric artistry, […]
Monochrome
For every good story, there is an end. First presented in 2023, the UR-230 series was Urwerk’s latest creation in the beloved 200 series, following the long-lived UR-210 and the short-lived UR-220. Built around the same design principles as its predecessors, and still featuring the immediately recognisable satellite display we have loved since 2006, the […]
Fratello
On Halloween, Dave Sergeant and I visited the WatchPro Salon in London at the Freemasons’ Hall. We enjoyed taking a peek at the various watches on display, but we had our favorites, of course. One watch that stood out to me was the Ollech & Wajs OW C-1000 Y, a piece I hadn’t seen before. […] Visit Hands-On: The Ollech & Wajs OW C-1000 Y to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Ressence has unveiled the Type 3 Marc Newson, an 80-piece limited edition that unites Marc Newson’s softly contoured, playful futurism with Ressence founder Benoît Mintiens’ long-running pursuit of a ‘dematerialised’ time display. Functionally unchanged from the standard Type 3, the MN edition introduces a colourway and set of visual cues drawn directly from the famed industrial designer’s archives, resulting in a new watch that feels instantly familiar. The Type 3 MN retains Ressence’s signature oil-filled upper chamber, which eliminates optical distortion and makes the indications appear projected onto the underside of the crystal - an effect that reads almost digital at first glance. Initial thoughts Some collaborations seem almost predestined; the partnership between Benoît Mintiens and Marc Newson is one of them. Both men share an affinity for modern minimalism and pebble-like organic forms, so their first joint project feels like an overdue meeting of minds. Benoît Mintiens and Marc Newson. Image – Ressence The Type 3 MN manages to combine the best instincts of both designers, resulting in a watch that lends an Ikepod-like lug-less case to Ressence’s signature oil-filled display. We’ll come back to the design, but one of the most impactful aspects of the Type 3 MN is its comfort on the wrist. Mr Newson is well known for his ergonomic designs; the strap he designed for Ikepod was later licensed by Apple, making it possibly the world’s most pop...
Deployant
TAG Heuer releases an addition to their iconic Monaco Chronograph capturing the glow of night racing with a display of colours on the dial and lume.
SJX Watches
Blancpain has just unveiled its most complex modern-day watch, the Grande Double Sonnerie, to mark its 190th anniversary. This CHF1.7 million grand complication signals Blancpain’s return to the highest tier of haute horlogerie. One of the most technically ambitious chiming wristwatches ever made, the Grande Double Sonnerie incorporates traditional complications: grande and petite sonnerie, minute repeater, flying tourbillon, and retrograde perpetual calendar, but also offers an unexpected twist with two distinct chiming melodies, a Westminster chime plus a a bespoke sequence composed for Blancpain by Eric Singer of rock band Kiss. Initial thoughts It has been some time since Blancpain unveiled a truly headline-grabbing complication. The manufacture made its name in this arena with the 1735 of 1991, but in the decades since, its output has leaned toward more conventional high-end offerings - perpetual calendars, tourbillons, carrousels, and chiming watches - while its commercial momentum has come largely from the Fifty Fathoms and Villeret triple calendar. The unexpected Grande Double Sonnerie is therefore a reminder of what Blancpain can do at the very top level of watchmaking. The Le Brassus-based manufacture tends to be overlooked when speaking of high horology today, but the Grande Double Sonnerie should remind enthusiasts how sure-footed Blancpain is in this regard. Even before considering the many complexities of the timepiece, the watch impresses from the fir...
Monochrome
Not many contemporary watchmaking creations have influenced our perception of time display as dramatically as the 2001 Ulysse Nardin Freak and Urwerk’s wandering-hour satellites. Both were born from the late-1990s creative surge, when mechanical horology strongly demonstrated its experimental and innovative spirit. Ulysse Nardin’s Freak redefined the mechanical wristwatch by eliminating the dial, hands, and […]
SJX Watches
The Ulysse Nardin UR-Freak brings together two of contemporary watchmaking’s most inventive forces. A collaboration between Ulysse Nardin and Urwerk, it merges the Freak’s revolving-movement architecture with Urwerk’s signature wandering hours display to create something that feels both inevitable and extraordinary. The partnership amplifies the strengths of each brand: Ulysse Nardin’s mastery of silicon technology and mechanical architecture, and Urwerk’s futuristic approach to time display. More than a meeting of aesthetics, the UR-Freak unites two brands that have long challenged convention. Both rose to prominence around the turn of the millennium by rewriting mechanical rules-Ulysse Nardin with its revolutionary 2001 Freak, and Urwerk with its satellite-hour timepieces that reimagined a traditional complication. Two decades later, their paths converge with a 100-piece limited edition in sandblasted titanium. Initial thoughts Some collaborations seem obvious in hindsight; the Ulysse Nardin UR-Freak is one of them. The collaboration plays to the strengths of both brands, with Urwerk’s signature wandering hours display plugging seamlessly into the UN Freak architecture. It turns out that Urwerk’s signature satellite wandering hours display feels right at home grafted onto Uylsse Nardin’s flagship. Frankly, they could have left it at that and called it a day. But the fact is Ulysse Nardin went the extra step to reimagine the Freak’s signature flying to...
Deployant
Orient Star released their new hand wound mechanical watch with moon phase display - the M45 in two dial variants, one in white, and the other in grey.
Monochrome
Ressence hit the ground running when Belgian industrial designer Benoît Mintiens unveiled prototypes of the Zero Series, featuring its unique “beyond hands” display at Baselworld 2010. Relying on revolving sub-dials powered by the brand’s patented Orbital Convex System (ROCS), time literally circles the domed dial like planets orbiting the Sun. In 2014, Ressence introduced the crownless […]
Monochrome
The collaboration between the indie brand Louis Erard and the master watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin has already given birth to several limited-edition watches based on the Time Eater concept – such as this tourbillon with regulator display. As Dubai Watch Week 2025 open its doors tomorrow, we get a different concept, yet still inspired by Chaykin’s […]
Fratello
Today, Parmigiani Fleurier announces a new variant of the Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante. The Arctic Rose continues to display how the upscale brand masters color and shares new hues on its watches. This is a watch with a decidedly practical complication housed in a luxurious form. Let’s take a brief look. My close acquaintances all […] Visit Introducing: The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante Arctic Rose to read the full article.
Time+Tide
The iconoclastic independent watchmaker translates its typical regulator display into a rectangular, montre à guichet form.The post Chronoswiss’ Neo Digiteur pairs jumping hours with digital minutes and running seconds in an interesting take on a montre à guichet appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Question, suggestion, or just want to say hi? Drop a note.