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The 1985 Swatch Consolidation

How Nicolas Hayek\'s ASUAG/SSIH merger (1983) and Swatch brand launch (March 1983) rescued Swiss watchmaking from the quartz crisis.

Krayon’s Anyday is a Day-Date “Mechanical Planner” SJX Watches
Krayon Mar 13, 2025

Krayon’s Anyday is a Day-Date “Mechanical Planner”

Krayon continues with its focus on calendar-related complications with the Anyday. Coming after the Anywhere and Everywhere, the Anyday is not an astronomical complication, but rather a seemingly-simple watch, albeit one with a twist. The Anyday is more than just a basic calendar watch as it offers an intuitive way of visualising the days of a month. Krayon describes the Anyday as a “mechanical planner”, with its display giving a complete view of the current month’s layout in terms of dates and weekends via a colour-coded date display. Initial thoughts Since the Anyday shows the days of the week over the course of a month, the utility of the concept is clear. It allows the wearer to tell if a certain future date will be a Monday or Tuesday, for example. Design wise, the Anyday also continues with Krayon’s established aesthetic, resulting in a recognisable house style. The quality of execution also lives up to the earlier Krayon timepieces. The movement is carefully finished and bears the hallmarks now requisite in high-end independent watchmaking, while the dial is clean and conveys the Krayon aesthetic well. The weekday planning function is useful and conceptually interesting, but it is little disappointing in mechanical terms, especially in comparison to the Anywhere and Everywhere, which are true complication powerhouses. An annual calendar or another basic calendar complication would have made the proposition a little more appealing. That is not to say the Anyd...

Luminous Pixels and Retro Design on Mido’s Commander 1959 SJX Watches
Longines amongst others Mar 13, 2025

Luminous Pixels and Retro Design on Mido’s Commander 1959

Originally a low-key, perhaps even boring, vintage remake, the Commander 1959 Pixel Dial livens things up with a vibrant array of blue, purple, and pink squares printed on the black dial. The new Mido departs from our usual focus on higher-end mechanical watchmaking, but at a little over US$700, it combines affordability, good-enough quality, and fun. The blue and pink squares are actually Super-LumiNova on matte black, creating a striking illuminated pixel dial in the dark. The dial is housed in the classic Commander 1959 case characterised by a “Milanese” mesh bracelet, flat bezel, and domed acrylic crystal, which evokes an unmistakable mid-century aesthetic that contrasts with the funky pixel dial. Initial thoughts Several of Mido’s recent releases, including the Ocean Star Decompression Timer 1961, combine inject vibrant colours and details into vintage-inspired designs. The new Commander 1959 continues this with its unmistakably 1950s-style case paired with a modern dial. Despite the dial’s array of colours, legibility is excellent thanks to the wide hands and markers. The Pixel Dial is a simple iteration of the original, and consequently remains affordable at US$740. Like many other watches in the same price range made by Mido’s parent Swatch Group (which also owns Tissot and Longines amongst others), the Commander 1959 is equipped with the Powermatic 80, a no-frills, economical movement that nonetheless provides an impressive 80-hour power reserve. Pattern...

Frédéric Arnault Departs LVMH Watches, to Become Loro Piana CEO SJX Watches
Louis Vuitton Mar 13, 2025

Frédéric Arnault Departs LVMH Watches, to Become Loro Piana CEO

A year after being tapped to head the LVMH Watch Division, Frédéric Arnault has been named the next chief executive of Loro Piana. Mr Arnault will assume the top job at the Italian maker of clothing and shoes in June 2025. Loro Piana is synonymous with “quiet luxury” for its emphasis on materials, restrained colours, and discreet branding, but it has become successful enough that the Loro Piana look is ironically recognisable while its trademark Summer Walk boat shoes have become footwear’s equivalent of the steel Rolex Daytona. Though only 18 months long, Mr Arnault’s leadership of the French group’s watch brands saw a management renewal across all its three brands, namely TAG Heuer, Hublot, and Zenith, as well as the announcement of a group-wide strategy for movement industrialisation and production. The period has also been a challenging one for the watch industry, with a sustained pullback in demand for watches that peaked during the pandemic. According to insiders, Mr Arnault also played a leading role in sealing the decade-long sponsorship deal with Formula 1. His ascension to the top job at Loro Piana part of succession planning at LVMH, the world’s largest luxury group. Mr Arnault’s successor at the watch division has yet to be announced, but his predecessor at Loro Piana, Damien Bertrand, will move onto the deputy chief executive job at Louis Vuitton.  

“Neo Vintage” Highlights at Phillips Geneva Online SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin Mercator Mar 11, 2025

“Neo Vintage” Highlights at Phillips Geneva Online

The spring auction season is getting underway with the first sale being Phillips’ The Geneva Sessions Spring 2025 taking place online until March 12. The online auction is a warm-up for the Geneva live auction taking place in May, but the 70-lot sale nonetheless includes several interesting timepieces, including some unusual examples from the “neo vintage” era. Essentially watches made in the 1990s to the early 2000s, such watches tend to be good value today; 30 years on they still sell for a fraction of the original retail price. One of the best known watches from the era, perhaps even iconic, is the Vacheron Constantin Mercator. A double retrograde with hands taking the form of a compass, the Mercator was introduced in 1994 and produced for a decade. A little over 600 were made with most of them having etched brass dials; less common were the examples with cloisonné enamel dials. The sale includes a Mercator with a map of Portugal dating to 2004, making it one of the final pieces made. Part of a limited edition of just ten watches, this example includes an achieve extract. The Mercator Portugal is lot 19 with an estimate of CHF25,000-50,000. The enamel dial of the Mercator Portugal One of the quirkiest watches in the sale is the Alain Silberstein Kronomedio Saphir. The French designer was the first to employ sapphire crystal for the watch case way back in 1997. An exceptionally expensive watch at the time, the sapphire chronograph illustrated Mr Silberstein’s av...

A Tasteful Laurent Ferrier Classic Origin for Shreve, Crump & Low SJX Watches
Breguet numerals Mar 11, 2025

A Tasteful Laurent Ferrier Classic Origin for Shreve, Crump & Low

One of the oldest jewellers in the United States, Shreve, Crump & Low (SC&L;) has turned to Laurent Ferrier (LF) for the Classic Origin SC&L; x LF, a tasteful take on the brand’s manual-wind, time-only wristwatch. Boston-based SC&L; was founded in 1796, but the new Classic Origin adopts a restrained aesthetic in blue and bronze that’s a welcome departure from the sector dials and Breguet numerals that characterise many of LF’s recent editions. Available in either stainless steel or red gold, the SC&L; edition is LF116.01, a hand-wind calibre that’s LF’s most accessible movement but still features refined touches like a linear winding click in polished steel. Initial thoughts I like the fact that the SC&L; edition adopts LF’s signature style while avoiding overused elements like a sector layout in “salmon” or green. This instantly sets the SC&L; version apart from most other Classic Origin iterations. Furthermore, the combination of grained blue and satin gold on the dial is unusual but appealing as it gives the watch a contemporary feel that works well with LF’s low-key “Galet” style. And the discreet SC&L; logo above the seconds is an elegant touch. The SC&L; edition being a manual-wind Classic Origin is both a pro and a con. It’s an advantage because of affordability; the Classic Origin is LF’s most accessible timepiece; the steel SC&L; edition costs US$42,000. However, the calibre inside doesn’t have the same level of detail as the micro-rotor automat...

Hermès Elegantly Facelifts Arceau Complications SJX Watches
Hermes Mar 11, 2025

Hermès Elegantly Facelifts Arceau Complications

Whimsical and graceful in the typical Hermès style, the Arceau L’Heure de la Lune and Arceau Le Temps Voyageur are both unusual takes on familiar complications; the two were incidentally conceived with the aid of Chronode, a complications specialist. Hermès has reworked the palette for both models, most notably with a two-tone case for the Arceau L’Heure de la Lune. This returns as a set of three watches, each featuring a dial made of a specific type of meteorite, namely Blue Grey Moon, Vesta, and Erg Chech. All three are housed in a 43 mm case with contrast-colour lugs. The Arceau Le Temps Voyageur, on the other hand, is offered separately in two guises: 41 mm in white gold, or 38 mm in rose gold with diamonds. The Arceau L’Heure de la Lune three-piece set Initial thoughts Among Hermès’ whimsical complications, the Arceau L’Heure de la Lune stands out as an unconventional and interesting reinterpretation of the simple date-and-moon-phase watch. Unlike traditional moon-phase displays, this employs mobile counters that orbit the dial over a 59-day cycle to reveal the current lunar phase. It’s a large watch and a little thick, but still elegant thanks to the design. The new variants look more modern than their predecessors thanks to the two-tone cases and meteorite dials that sport subtle colour accents that are typically Hermes. The main downside is the fact that the three are delivered as a set, which not only means the cost is high – the set retails for ...

Hands On: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept KAWS “Companion” SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept KAWS Mar 10, 2025

Hands On: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept KAWS “Companion”

Launched a few months ago, the Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon “Companion” 43 mm is Audemars Piguet’s first collaboration with Kaws, the contemporary artist best known for work inspired by Mickey Mouse and The Simpsons. While the Kaws edition is not the first AP pop culture collab, it is arguably the best. Initial thoughts I like the Royal Oak Concept Kaws, more than any of AP’s other pop culture collaborations. I like the aesthetic, feel, and execution (though not the oversized case), which put this amongst the best contemporary art crossovers in watchmaking. The Hublot-Murakami series is another outstanding artist-watchmaker collab, but the AP-Kaws watch is executed to a much higher level of quality (and price). Visually, the Kaws is big and bold, but rendered in muted, monochromatic grey – a paradoxical but complementary combination. At a distance the watch seems like yet another oversized Royal Oak, but up close it gets more interesting, starting with the fact that it has no hands in the traditional sense. The lack of hands (which are replaced with peripheral pointers) make this a little more interesting, since the cal. 2979 is a new movement that’s a variant of AP’s more conventional tourbillon calibre. I appreciate the fact that the movement was developed for this watch, both in order to accommodate the figure on the dial and to incorporate the “padded” Kaws aesthetic into the movement bridges on the back. Adding a mechanical complication to the Kaws s...

Introducing – Orient Introduces Its First-Ever Collaboration with Peanuts, with 4 Snoopy-Themed Models Monochrome
Seiko Epson Corporation Mar 10, 2025

Introducing – Orient Introduces Its First-Ever Collaboration with Peanuts, with 4 Snoopy-Themed Models

As we’ve seen recently, Orient, a Japanese watchmaker owned by the Seiko Epson Corporation, is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. Created in 1950, it has since made a name for itself in the accessible segment with watches such as the Mako or the Bambino. There’s another important name that was created that same year; a […]

Breitling’s Flagship Navitimer B19 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph in Steel SJX Watches
Breitling s Flagship Navitimer B19 Mar 10, 2025

Breitling’s Flagship Navitimer B19 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph in Steel

The flagship watch of Breitling’s best-known watch, the Navitimer B19 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph is now more affordable. The latest iteration with an “ice blue” dial retains the specs of the pink gold 140th anniversary edition launched last year, but trades precious metal for steel. Unlike last year’s limited edition, the new steel model is regular production and is priced under US$30,000, over Breitling’s traditional sweet spot on the price spectrum but still half the retail of the anniversary edition. Breitling Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar_Ref. PB1920251C1P1_RGB Initial thoughts The new Navitimer B19 keeps it affordable, relatively speaking, by combining Breitling’s excellent in-house B01 movement with the tried-and-tested Dubois Depraz perpetual calendar module. The resulting watch is thick at almost 15 mm high, but combines several complications in Breitling’s iconic slide-rule pilot’s chronograph. While the watch is pricier than most of Breitling’s offerings, it is one of the few perpetual calendar chronographs in this price range. Most of such watches tend to be a lot more expensive, although Austrian independent watchmaker Habring² offers similar for less in keeping with its focus on affordable complications. Value proposition The new B19 retains the same basic specs as its precious metal counterpart. The stainless steel case measures 43 mm in diameter and 14.94 mm in thickness. Water-resistant to 30 m, it features the Navit...

Sunday Morning Showdown: King Seiko Vanac Vs. Toledano & Chan B/1 Fratello
Seiko Vanac Vs Toledano & Mar 9, 2025

Sunday Morning Showdown: King Seiko Vanac Vs. Toledano & Chan B/1

And before you know it, it is Sunday again! Welcome to another Sunday Morning Showdown. We hope you are comfortable, with a cup of coffee in hand and a croissant nearby. Depending on where you are, maybe you are even greeted by a soft spring sunshine. Well, say goodbye to your peaceful morning because we […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: King Seiko Vanac Vs. Toledano & Chan B/1 to read the full article.

New: Tissot PRC 100 Solar Deployant
Tissot PRC 100 Solar DEPLOYANT Mar 8, 2025

New: Tissot PRC 100 Solar

Tissot presents the PRC 100 Solar. Anchored by its iconic dodecagonal bezel, it brings nature and technology together, transforming solar energy into limitless power. First introduced in the mid-2000s, the PRC 100 was recognised for its striking design, carving out its place in Tissot’s collection. Today, it returns with a pioneering Lightmaster Solar Quartz movement, harnessing photovoltaic energy to fuel every second.

Isotope Introduces a Pair of Mercury Limited Editions for British Watchmakers’ Day Worn & Wound
Isotope Introduces Mar 7, 2025

Isotope Introduces a Pair of Mercury Limited Editions for British Watchmakers’ Day

Suppose you travel frequently between the US and Britain. In that case, one difference you’ll notice pretty swiftly after escaping the airport is the proliferation (and absence) of flags depending on which side of the pond you have arrived. Over here, you’ll typically only see a Union Flag flying outside official buildings, or on literally everything inside the many tourist shops around London. It’s not generally seen outside schools, homes or shops. However, we Brits do let a smidgen of patriotism creep out on occasion. The “Last Night of the Proms” even encourages flag waving (and rhythmic bobbing), and we feel a sense of pride celebrating Olympic medals won by superhuman efforts from individuals we only heard about two and a half hours earlier. Display the Union Flag on a watch and most Brits would turn their nose up. A stylized version of the same idea, but created by a watch brand based in the south of England, started by a gentleman from Portugal, and available in very limited numbers, and it’s a whole lot more acceptable. Sometimes we take a little outside encouragement to embrace such things. Isotope is unveiling two watches for British Watch Makers’ Day 2025, which both make vivid use of the Union Flag – the Mercury BWD Cloisonné and Mercury BWD Micro Marquetry. Isotope’s Mercury was first seen last summer in the form of a limited edition with Revolution, and was followed by a Shadow variant which used the same case and movement but a brushed in...

Fratello’s Top 5 Pre-Daytona Rolex Chronographs Fratello
Rolex Chronographs Another Friday another Mar 7, 2025

Fratello’s Top 5 Pre-Daytona Rolex Chronographs

Another Friday, another list! This week, we’re highlighting the best pre-Daytona Rolex chronographs. While most watch fans know of such models’ existence, it’s not something we focus on often. This is for obvious reasons. The legacy of the Daytona has become one of the industry’s greatest success stories, so that is where the focus is. […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Pre-Daytona Rolex Chronographs to read the full article.

Konstantin Chaykin Returns with Slavic Bread-Creature Wristmon SJX Watches
Konstantin Chaykin Mar 7, 2025

Konstantin Chaykin Returns with Slavic Bread-Creature Wristmon

Drawn from a Russian fairy tale about a bun coming to life, the Kolobok 2 arrives a year after Konstantin Chaykin revealed the original Kolobok. Like its predecessors in the Wristmon collection, this features a dial inspired by the titular character’s face. But the Kolobok 2 marks a departure from the first version in two notable ways: it is now a regular production watch rather than a limited edition, and it features a La Joux-Perret base movement instead of an ETA. Initial thoughts The Kolobok 2 is the latest of many Wristmon models, arguably too many to date. However, the fact that this is a regular production model, as opposed to a limited edition, is a positive development since it indicates the brand is leaving behind the multiple-edition approach. That aside, the watch itself is an upgrade over earlier versions. Although the new Kolobok 2 has the same simple functions arranged as a face, it is powered by a new movement based on the La Joux-Perret G200, replacing the modified ETA 2892-A2 used in preceding entry-level Wristmon models. This calibre is a step forward for the Wristmon model. Amongst other things that put it ahead of the ETA 2892, the G200 sports a a full balance bridge with a free-sprung balance. Another wristmon The Kolobok 2 retains the same dimensions and technical specifications as its predecessors, measuring 40 mm in diameter and 12.2 mm in thickness. As with all Wristmons, it features a notched bezel with 12 screws and a case that’s predominan...

War Correspondent’s Rolex GMT-Master 1675 Surfaces In New Zealand Fratello
Rolex GMT-Master 1675 Surfaces Mar 6, 2025

War Correspondent’s Rolex GMT-Master 1675 Surfaces In New Zealand

If only watches could tell stories… This particular watch, a Rolex GMT-Master 1675 from 1968, would have a multitude of stories to share. The Rolex GMT-Master ref. 1675 we’re looking at today belonged to the late New Zealand photojournalist and camera operator Derek McKendry, who spent eight years covering the Vietnam War for the Australian […] Visit War Correspondent’s Rolex GMT-Master 1675 Surfaces In New Zealand to read the full article.

Seiko Marks 60 Years of Diving with Prospex Editions (and a Micro-Adjust Clasp) SJX Watches
Zodiac cycle Mar 6, 2025

Seiko Marks 60 Years of Diving with Prospex Editions (and a Micro-Adjust Clasp)

To celebrate 60 years of dive watches, Seiko is diving into the deep end with three additions to the Prospex range: the 60th Anniversary Marinemaster Professional (SLA081), 1968 Heritage Diver GMT (SPB509), and 1965 Heritage Diver (SPB511). Whether you’re a die-hard Seiko collector or simply a looking for an affordable, high quality diver, all three are distinct enough from their stablemates to be worth a look. But as exciting as the watches are, they’re arguably overshadowed by something simple yet significant, a feature Seiko enthusiasts have been requesting for a long time. The SPB509 and SPB511 are both equipped with a steel bracelet incorporating a micro-adjustment clasp that can be resized on the go by up to 15 mm, as opposed to the less practical diving extension found in preceding models. The 1968 Heritage Diver GMT SPB509 (left), and 1965 Heritage Diver SPB511 Initial thoughts In Western culture, significant anniversaries like the 25th, 50th, and 100th tend to be celebrated with great fanfare. In contrast, Japanese culture (and also widely East Asian culture) emphasises the 60th birthday – kanreki in Japanese – which also coincides with the completion of the traditional 12-year zodiac cycle. In this context, it’s worth looking closely at how Seiko is choosing to celebrate this milestone. The 1965 and 1968 Heritage models are powered by the well-known cal. 6R-series movements, which offer a 72-hour power reserve. While the pair are essentially variants o...

Doxa Sub 200T Divingstar Review Teddy Baldassarre
Doxa Mar 5, 2025

Doxa Sub 200T Divingstar Review

Tastes great, less filling. That’s the tagline for a famous light beer, but the same could be said for Doxa’s latest version of its iconic Sub, the 200T. It’s a slimmed-down take on the iconic Doxa Sub diver, and although it features a new case size, this might be the Doxa for people who thought they could never wear the brand, including yours truly. It’s also available in a huge array of colorways, so now there really is something for everyone when it comes to the Doxa Sub. The Doxa brand is certainly among the stars of the classic dive watch universe, and the Doxa we think of first is almost invariably the orange-dialed Sub 300 Professional from 1967, along with the black-dialed Sharkhunter version made famous by legendary oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, not to mention Robert Redford in Three Days Of The Condor. But today, we’re taking a look at the newest member of the Doxa Sub family, and there’s a lot to like here, not least of which is a lower price point. And although I haven’t been diving in quite some time, I can’t help feeling a little like an undersea explorer whenever I wear the 200T, which is quite often these days. The classic Doxa Sub 300 and 300T have always worn rather well for larger watches, due to that distinctive tonneau case shape and those short lugs, but now, there’s a new version for someone who wants a tool watch that’s a bit less…tool-like. Enter the Doxa Sub 200T, rendered in a just-right size at 39mm. Honestly, it feels li...