Results for Marine Chronometer & The Longitude Problem

Hands On: Jaeger-LeCoultre Gyrotourbillon à Stratosphère

A tourbillon within a tourbillon, itself within yet another tourbillon. The Master Hybris Inventiva Gyrotourbillon à Stratosphère is Jaeger-LeCoultre’s sixth-generation multi-axis tourbillon, 22 years after the first Gyrotourbillon launched in 2004. The revised tourbillon architecture now covers close to 100% of possible positions in space to dilute the effects of gravity across nearly all possible orientations. But is it a genuine precision instrument, or an exploration of the limits of contemporary mechanics? Evolution or revolution? The calibre 178 that powers the Stratosphère builds on more than two decades of research into multi-axis tourbillons, during which Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC) has explored variables such as axis multiplication, different hairspring geometries, miniaturisation, and new forms of energy management. This logical evolution of the Gyrotourbillon concept remained theoretical until recently. “Its realisation has only been possible thanks to the current maturity of the Manufacture’s expertise and technologies – it would have been difficult to envisage just a few years ago,” notes Takahiro Hamaguchi, Product & Innovation Director at JLC. This capability also stems from the brand’s internal structure, which enables the conception and production of a movement from scratch, and is reflected in the new Hybris Inventiva line, which will grow into a showcase of watches that isolate a single innovative complication developed through multi-year inte...

Revisiting The Raymond Weil Freelancer Complete Calendar Hands-On Review

As Raymond Weil comes out of their shell, so do more incredible timepieces. But have they hit a new peak with the Freelancer Complete Calendar? Let’s find out! What We Love: An elegant and versatile design Quality-of-life upgrades to a classic complication Excellent value proposition with few competitors What We Don’t: Movement finishing somewhat lacklustre The calendar is hard to see from a distance Do we need the lume? Overall Rating: 9/10 Value for Money: 9/10 Wearability: 9/10 Design: 9/10 Build Quality: 9/10 This article was originally published as Is The New Raymond Weil Freelancer Complete Calendar Their Best Yet?  There’s a rapid surge happening in watchmaking right now. No, I’m not talking about the newly imposed 39% U.S. tariffs on Swiss watches (though that’s a story in itself), but rather the quiet re-emergence of the middle market. As household names climb further upmarket, a new wave of brands are pushing harder than ever, flexing their creative and horological muscles to prove what they’re truly capable of. Christopher Ward is one; Frederique Constant and Maurice Lacroix are others. But perhaps the most impressive contender in this power shift is none other than Raymond Weil. Nearly 50 years young, the family-owned independent has been quietly racking up achievements and accolades. Their breakout moment came with the GPHG-winning Millésime collection, followed by ambitious world timers and flyback chronographs — complications that once f...

Hands-on - The Tudor Monarch, an Unexpected yet Successful Return

This year was a big one for the Rolex group, as the Crown was celebrating the 100th anniversary of its emblematic Oyster case, while Tudor turned 100 years, being founded in 1926. With this in mind, expectations were high, and some predicted fireworks of novelties, huge innovations, entirely new collections all around… And the celebrations […]

Photo Report: The Miami Beach Antique Show 2026

The Original Miami Beach Antique Show (OMBAS) is one of my favorite trips of the year. For those of us deep in vintage watch appreciation, it's an absolute must-see. The show sees watch dealers and collectors flying in from all corners of the world for arguably the most important vintage show in the world. OMBAS is the sort of show you can find stuff you'll never see again, as well as things you simply didn't know existed. Ever wanted to see numerous Tasti Tondi's, Paul Newmans, and 2499's all in one room? This is where you do it. As its name suggests, it's truly a diverse show, with all manners of antiques you could think of, and those you couldn't, all for sale within the colossal Miami Beach Convention Center. The Miami Beach Convention Center Typically, the show is held just after the holidays in January, but for 2026, it was moved to March, a decision that also ensured much better weather for those fortunate enough to have spare time to explore. Held over six days, I picked up a few key takeaways from my time there compared to previous visits. Firstly, prices. Previously, it felt more possible to find deals at the show. Not as much with the watch dealers who know exactly what they have, but from those stands that stock all sorts of antiques, who also just happened to have a few watches hidden away. They were always the gold mines for vintage scores. Nowadays, it seems everyone knows what they have, which seems to be down to one thing: the price of gold. The desirabili...

G-Shock Mudmaster Review: Reliable and Built for the Serious Tool Watch User

A hands-on look at the Casio G-Shock Mudmaster GGB100X-1A, its oversized case, tool-focused features, and where it fits in real-world wear.

Hands On: Grand Seiko Spring Drive UFA Ushio 300 Diver SLGB025 and SLGB023

At Watches & Wonders, Grand Seiko launched its best dive watch yet, the Evolution 9 Spring Drive Ultra Fine Accuracy (UFA) Ushio 300 Diver SLGB023 and SLGB025. As a product, it is both shocking and obvious, combining everything Grand Seiko collectors have longed for: a moderately sized case, an improved bracelet and clasp, and a 300 m depth rating. It all comes packaged in a titanium case and an enthusiast-favourite no-date format, and retails for slightly less than Grand Seiko’s existing premium dive watches. It’s a strong statement from a brand looking to gain traction in the luxury sports watch segment. Initial thoughts Seiko’s dive watch pedigree is one of the strongest in the industry, from their iconic saturation divers of the late 1960s to the gone but not forgotten SKX. Yet the flagship Grand Seiko brand has struggled to field a compelling dive watch. Bulky cases, strange proportions, odd depth ratings, and clumsy clasps held back past offerings. Fortunately, Grand Seiko has finally overcome these shortcomings and can finally boast a highly competitive diver’s watch. I made a wishlist for Watches & Wonders 2026 not long ago, at the top of which was my vision for a Grand Seiko UFA Spring Drive diver. To be clear, I’d already known a dive watch using the new cal. 9RBx family of Spring Drive movements was coming based on trademark filings, but I wished for something that many Grand Seiko collectors have wanted for years – a moderately sized dive watch, wit...

Artem Launches Its New Stellar Azure Loop-Less HydroFlex FKM Strap

Artem expands its HydroFlex Loop-Less strap collection with a new Stellar Azure light blue color. Against the brand’s usual neutral and earthy tones, this vibrant blue immediately stands out. Also, alongside the orange Solar Flare and red Blood Moon editions, it shows Artem’s continuing exploration of bolder, more expressive colors. The light blue shade works […] Visit Artem Launches Its New Stellar Azure Loop-Less HydroFlex FKM Strap to read the full article.

First Look - The new Venezianico Arsenale Calendario, An Accessible Take on the Integrated Bracelet Watch

Founded in 2017, Italian brand Venezianico has caught attention with its stylish, well-priced watches that often play around with materials and design. From pieces inspired by Venetian architecture to a recent Redentore with a guilloché pattern depicting the Venetian lagoon’s tides, there is usually a bit of character in what they do. Inspired by the […]

Hands On: Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5610P and Vacheron Constantin Overseas Ultra-Thin

Comparison is often said to be the thief of joy, but the numerous attributes of the Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 5610P and Vacheron Constantin Overseas Self-Winding Ultra-Thin ref. 2500v are arguably best understood in a side-by-side format. The watches are extraordinarily similar — each watch features a platinum case and bracelet, a slim micro-rotor automatic movement, and a rare two-hand, no-date configuration. Beyond their tangible similarities, both watches are limited editions priced within 7% of one another, and were launched to mark milestone anniversaries of their respective collections. Initial thoughts Rarely do rival brands treat collectors to such a perfect match-up. Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin could hardly have done more to go toe-to-toe, and have unexpectedly made 2026 the golden age of the platinum sports watch. The original Patek Philippe Nautilus from 1976 was provocative precisely because it was made in steel at a time when ‘high-end’ still meant precious metal. Five decades later, the steel sports watch trend has arguably peaked, making the stealthy platinum ref. 5610P a fitting tribute. It captures the look of the original without diluting its legacy with yet another steel variant. While Vacheron Constantin has dabbled in steel sports watches since as far back as 1977 with the 222, the Overseas collection only debuted in 1996. Now in its third generation, the Overseas has evolved into a substantive rival to both the Patek Philippe Nauti...

Hands-On With The Yema Skin Diver Slim Full Lume CMM.20 Limited Edition

I have had the pleasure of reviewing a good number of Yema watches over the past few years. During the many hands-on experiences, I have found that I gravitate toward the brand’s quirky classics. My all-time favorite is the Superman FAF Search And Rescue Limited Edition from a few years ago. But I also love […] Visit Hands-On With The Yema Skin Diver Slim Full Lume CMM.20 Limited Edition to read the full article.

Hands On: Dominique Renaud Pulse 60

Accomplished movement constructor Dominique Renaud makes a compelling return with the Pulse 60, a slow-beating timepiece featuring a 1 Hz oscillator. An important name in the post-quartz era, Mr Renaud has recently re-emerged alongside Julien Tixier under the Renaud Tixier brand. The Pulse 60 marks his first signed watch in nearly a decade — following the million-dollar DR01 Twelve First, which resulted in a single unique piece. Initial thoughts When speaking today of advancing the theory and practice of horology, the conversation usually centres around cutting-edge materials, novel tribology research or reimagined complications. The Dominique Renaud (DR) Pulse 60 contradicts this trend and instead goes back in time to put a new spin on an old idea.  The slow beating 1 Hz Pulse 60 bets on classic chronometry, when heavy balances paired to slow and steady running rates were the champions of precision. Going one step further, DR slowed the oscillator to 1 Hz — or just one oscillation per second. In the era of ever-higher frequencies, the counterintuitive choice seems at first like a deliberate act of self-sabotage.  But after analysing the novel movement in the Pulse 60, it’s my opinion that it should prove to be a reliable timekeeper, and more than just a proof of concept. After Antoine Martin’s ill-fated Slow Runner, DR has produced a fully functioning 1 Hz timepiece by employing a smaller balance and — crucially — raising the amplitude ceiling to over 360°....

Home-Made Grande Sonnerie Wins 2026 F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition

Shin Ohno is the winner of the 12th F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition. The young Japanese watchmaker clinched the prize with the Fuyu-Geshiki, a small grande et petite sonnerie tourbillon clock inspired by the winter landscape of Nagano, a northern prefecture of Japan. Made by one man with a watchmaker’s lathe, desktop CNC mill, and not a lot of sleep, the ebony-cased timepiece is one of the most impressive works produced by the competition yet. From Nagano Mr Ohno describes Nagano as “defined by the purity of its air, by the flow of spring water, and by melting snow”. It is also the heart of Japan’s watch industry, boasting the country’s largest movement assembly plant (Citizen’s Saku plant) and is home to Mr Ohno’s employer — Seiko Epson. Specifically, Mr Ohno works as an engineer within the company’s watch division, but it should be noted that this timepiece is entirely unrelated to the (now discontinued) Credor Spring Drive Sonnerie and Credor Minute Repeater. Mr Ohno designed the movement from the ground up, citing the creative works of past winner Norifumi Seki and Masahiro Kikuno as key inspirations. A closer look at the tourbillon cage. The teeth are polished to catch the light like slick stones. While he learned how to design watch parts at his day job, it was someone else’s job to manufacture them. With the Fuyu-Geshiki, Mr Ohno had to master production as well as design. He cites his colleague, master watchmaker Ikukiyo Komatsu, as a mento...

The Most Durable Watches That Feel Built to Last: 14 Reviewed Picks

Explore the most durable watches we’ve tested, with a focus on real-world wear, build quality, and the details that actually matter day to day.

TAG Heuer Brings Miami To Your Wrist With The Formula 1 Solargraph Pastel Collection

After an unplanned break caused by suspended Middle Eastern races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Formula 1 returns next weekend in Miami. To match the Grand Prix’s high-voltage color, TAG Heuer expands its revived Formula 1 Solargraph 38mm range with fresh pastels. The new lineup includes five models, with three featuring classic layouts in beige, […] Visit TAG Heuer Brings Miami To Your Wrist With The Formula 1 Solargraph Pastel Collection to read the full article.

Perrelet reinvents its Turbine with the new Casino Roulette, turning time into a game of chance

The new Perrelet Turbine Casino Roulette ditches the traditional turbine blades in favour of a fully integrated roulette wheel dial.

A Closer Look: Grand Seiko “Ushio” Diver Spring Drive U.F.A.

Timex’s Best Affordable Dress Watch Yet Is a Todd Snyder Collaboration

The Timex x Todd Snyder 1976 Lexington reissue lands April 23 at $169, offering applied indices, polished steel, and three dial colorways.

Watches, Stories, & Gear: Tim Cook Steps Down, a James Brand Favorite Gets an Upgrade, and Amazing Photos From Artemis II

“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of our favorite content, watch or otherwise, from around the internet. Here, we support other creators, explore interesting content that inspires us, and put a spotlight on causes we believe in. Oh, and any gear we happen to be digging on this week. We love gear. Artemis II Flyby Photos It’s easy to plunge oneself into the nihilism that is our current political landscape, but the photos taken during the Artemis II mission offered something of an unfamiliar sensation upon viewing them. What was it…I can almost put my finger on it…oh yeah, a sense of hope.  Taken during Artemis II’s seven-hour flyby around the Moon on April 6, these images show the lunar far side in remarkable detail, along with an in-space solar eclipse. While, of course, this feat in itself is impressive, there was something else that seemed to touch the hearts and imagination of us back on Earth – a trust in science, a camaraderie with our Canadian neighbors (one of the astronauts on board was Jeremy Hansen with the Canadian Space Agency), and a change in perspective that, no matter what’s buzzing in the news cycle, we really are just a little blue marble rolling around the universe. Beef, Season 2 Netflix’s original series Beef is back for a second season, garnering similar critical acclaim as its first. This season, we meet an all-new cast, including Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Charles Melton, and Cailee Spaeny, and an all-new drama, focused ...

WWG26 Armchair Picks: Frank’s Top 3 From The New Releases

Our writer Frank shares his top 3 picks from the recently concluded Watches & Wonders Geneva

6 Seiko 5 GMT Alternatives For Those Who Are Ready To Spend More

Find Seiko 5 GMT alternatives for collectors ready to spend more. Learn about wearability, travel function, design, durability, and more, and spend more wisely.

It’s Complicated To Choose: Lex’s Three Favorite Watches And Wonders 2026 Releases

This year, I wasn’t looking for something I could own. This year’s Watches and Wonders, I was ready to be amazed, surprised, and blown away by impressive stuff. I was in the mood for complications, not retro-chic dress watches or buffed-up icons. Well, the salon didn’t disappoint, and the participating brands made it complicated for […] Visit It’s Complicated To Choose: Lex’s Three Favorite Watches And Wonders 2026 Releases to read the full article.

Recap - The Best New Chronographs From Watches & Wonders 2026

After the onslaught of watch news coming out of Geneva over the past week, it’s time to digest it all and see what’s what. We’ve tried our best to guide you through all the novelties, but it’s fully understandable if you’ve missed a few in the process. Not to worry, though, as this is the […]

The History of Bulova Lunar Pilot: Real Lunar Heritage Combined With Modern Engineering

The post The History of Bulova Lunar Pilot: Real Lunar Heritage Combined With Modern Engineering appeared first on Worn & Wound.

Watches & Wonders: Nomos Introduces the Club Sport neomatik Worldtimer in a Classic Colorway

A year removed from last year’s Watches & Wonders, it’s clear that Nomos had the accessible watch of the show, and maybe of the year, with the Club Sport neomatik Worldtimer. Introduced initially in rhodium plated silver and blue dial executions, along with a handful of limited edition colorways that turned out to be incredibly highly sought after, the new Nomos Worldtimer became a bit of a phenomenon among a certain type of watch enthusiast. Over the course of the last year, we’ve seen Nomos return to the Worldtimer a few times with new limited editions, always appearing to sell out quickly. Given the appetite for this watch, it’s no wonder that Nomos would go back to the well a year later to introduce yet another variant. This one, though, immediately feels like the colorway that should have existed all along.  The new Club Sport neomatik Worldtimer in a white silver plated dial is a permanent addition to the collection. And it should be – this is basically the colorway that defined Nomos through their early years, and the period of time where they really grew as an enthusiast driven brand across the larger Watch Internet. This simple silvery white is, for most people, the dial color they imagine in their head when they close their eyes and think of a Nomos. It’s simple, minimal, and very much core to the Nomos brand identity. While they’ve certainly become known in recent years as being more freely experimental with color (to great effect – I own a mult...

Introducing - The Union Glashütte Belisar Chronograph Sport on Steel Bracelet

Union Glashütte continues to position itself in the segment of robust, fairly-priced mechanical chronographs with a distinctly modern look. The Belisar Chronograph Sport, introduced in 2024 as a more contemporary alternative within the Belisar collection, marked a departure from vintage cues. It now evolves with the addition of a stainless steel bracelet, enhancing its presence and versatility. […]

Our 12 Favorite Watches For Collectors Who Want Character Over Specs

Explore our 12 favorite watches for collectors who value character over specs, hands-on picks from small brands, large brands, and everything in-between.

First Look - Chapter Two in the Revival of L. Leroy with the New Elyor Flying Tourbillon

Parisian watchmaking maison L. Leroy was founded by Basile-Charles Le Roy in 1785 and became the official watchmaker to King Louis XVI and later to Napoleon I and Queen Victoria. Expanding operations to Switzerland, L. Leroy produced marine chronometers for the French Navy and amassed 384 gold medals in chronometry competitions. Iconic masterpieces like the […]

The Bremont x Astrolab Supernova Chronograph will be the first British Watch on the Moon

Hands-on - The Otsuka Lotec No.8 Refines Jiro Katayama’s Industrial Language

We wouldn’t go as far as to say that there’s something fundamentally different about the way Jiro Katayama approaches watchmaking. After all, industrial design, be it cars, instruments, or machinery, has inspired and defined quite a few independents. Still, most start from horology and branch outward, yet the mind behind Otsuka Lotec comes directly from […]

Hands On: Imaginative Automata from Jacob & Co.

It is somewhat counterintuitive to think that New York-based jeweller Jacob & Co. is one of the fastest growing brands in the mostly stagnant Swiss watch industry. In fact, Jacob & Co. is now a watchmaker first and a jeweller second by turnover – watches account for 75% of the brand’s revenue today. This success is party due to the brand’s open-minded approach to movement making and the surprising (and often risky) projects it has produced, from the first 31-day wristwatch in 2006 to the world’s fastest tourbillon in 2026. One of Jacob & Co.’s specialties is dial-side automata - micro-mechanical sculptures that that can be activated on demand. Alongside the launch of the flagship Godfather II, Jacob & Co. expanded its range of automata watches with new sapphire editions of the Bugatti Tourbillon, a malachite-dialled Casino, and new editions of the provocative Oil Pump. The Bugatti Tourbillon Sapphire Jacob & Co. is not the first watch brand to collaborate with celebrated carmaker Bugatti, but the collaboration is more than a mere commercial tie-up. In fact, the two companies share a manufacturing partner - Concepto - a La Chaux-de-Fonds-based specialist in components and white-label movements. Bugatti enlisted Concepto to produce the fully analogue instrument cluster of its latest hypercar - the aptly named Tourbillon. This was a delightful return to tactility in a world of digital displays and ubiquitous touchscreens. This three-way collaboration contin...