40,995 articles · 5,979 videos found · page 1079 of 1566
Quill & Pad
The majority of today's numerous flieger-style watches are inspired by the now-iconic German pilot’s and navigator's watches of World War II, becoming a genre unto themselves. Bhanu Chopra flies high to take a deep dive into the long history of this popular style.
Fratello
Ollech & Wajs is a brand that is not covered all that often. There is much to like, though, when one starts to investigate the brand’s history as well as its current offerings. Indeed, it is a brand that resonates with me. Something about Ollech & Wajs’s no-nonsense tool-watch designs and rich past makes for […] Visit How Ollech & Wajs Watches Contributed To A 1960s Arctic Diving Expedition to read the full article.
Hodinkee
Watchmaker bested rivals to buy the Breguet Pendule Sympathique No. 1 and says it will be a key part of a new museum dedicated to his work and its place in horology history.
Worn & Wound
One of my favorite releases from Watches & Wonders (and one of the best watches Zenith has made in years, in my opinion) was the G.F.J., a study in blue and a celebration of the brand’s 160th anniversary. The G.F.J. is something of a no-expenses-spared dream watch, with a platinum case and optional bracelet that basically doubles the price (because why not?) as well as a finely finished movement and loads of history built into the watch’s story, with a focus on the brand’s historic pursuits in chronometry. When I had that watch on my wrist I wondered how the G.F.J. line might expand, and if this watch was an opening salvo in a more ambitious series of releases to come. I don’t know that we have any answers to those questions, necessarily, with the release of the Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar Lapis Lazuli today, but there’s certainly some connective tissue between Zenith’s newest novelty and the G.F.J. we saw a few months ago. Looking at the latest Zenith Triple Calendar, it’s impossible not to notice a certain aesthetic similarity to the G.F.J. Both make prominent use of lapis lazuli, one of the most common precious stones used in watchmaking. On the G.F.J., lapis is what makes up the majority of the dial space, with the stone in the main dial nicely complementing the blue mother of pearl in the subsidiary seconds. On this new Triple Calendar, the lapis is truly the star of the show, dominating the dial and only yielding for the three subregisters i...
Hodinkee
Earlier this summer, Hodinkee and TAG Heuer hosted an intimate dinner to celebrate the launch of the new limited edition TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Seafarer x Hodinkee and the brand's rich history of "Decades at Sea."
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Teddy Baldassarre
Watch movements, like the engines in cars, are the mechanisms that make the whole thing run, and if you're new to the world of avid watch enthusiasm, there's more to learn about them, and how they work, than you think. In this comprehensive guide to watch movements, we will attempt to answer every question that you might have about movements - their different types, their important parts, who makes them, and even a bit of history and trivia. What is a Mechanical Movement? A mechanical movement, the oldest type of movement in horology, uses a coiled metal spring, called a mainspring, that releases energy as it uncoils through a series of gears to drive a weighted, oscillating wheel called a balance wheel. The balance wheel’s oscillations are linked to an escapement, which periodically releases the gear train to move the hands forward to record the passing of hours, minutes, and seconds. Originally, the mainspring needed to be wound periodically by hand, first by a key, then by a winding crown attached via a stem to the movement. Later, a type of movement was developed that could be wound “automatically,” through the motions of the wearer’s wrist. What is the difference between a mechanical movement and an automatic movement? It isn’t really a question of difference: the latter is simply a specific type of the former, à la a Cognac and a brandy. The two main types of mechanical movements are manually wound (or “hand-winding”), in which the user needs to p...
Teddy Baldassarre
The Omega Speedmaster “Moonwatch” is one of the most legendary and collectible watch models in the world, its fame derived from its pivotal role in history as the first watch worn on the moon. Now the undisputed flagship of Omega’s vast and diverse watch portfolio, the original Speedmaster has changed very little from the timepiece worn by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Apollo 11 mission more than 50 years ago. However, over the course of subsequent years, Omega has released dozens of special editions of the “Speedy,” many in commemoration of milestone moments in NASA history, which have featured distinctive differences from the core model and have gained an avid following of their own. Perhaps no Speedmaster best exemplifies both the watch’s enduring collectibility, as well as its significant role in the Space Race and beyond, more so than the "Silver Snoopy'' editions. How did Snoopy, the beloved cartoon beagle from Charles M. Schulz’s iconic “Peanuts” comic strip, find his way onto the dial of a spacefaring Swiss watch in the first place, you ask? Here’s the story. As related in far more depth in my article on the history of the Moonwatch, the Omega Speedmaster was launched in 1957 and originally intended as a wristwatch for timing motorsports. In the 1960s, however, the watch was submitted as one of a handful of chronographs tested by NASA to endure the rigors of space travel. After emerging victorious in the competition, the Speedmaster wa...
Teddy Baldassarre
There’s not much left to say about the Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 that hasn’t already been said. It’s a watch that feels like it’s always been there, even though it was only released by Tissot in 2021, at exactly the right moment in history. With integrated-bracelet designs on the upswing, Tissot brought one to market that was fun, well designed, and well priced. It also happened to be based on an original ‘70s Seastar design from the brand. It was an instant hit, and the brand was quick to capitalize on its initial success by fleshing out a full collection, including different sizes, materials, and even movement options, culminating in the PRX Powermatic 80. The PRX Powermatic 80 was introduced in both 35mm and 40mm variations, and quickly saw a variety of dial, case, and strap options that brought a diverse personality to the collection as a whole. In 2025, it feels like a fully mature staple of Tissot’s offerings, and the integrated-bracelet trend is showing no real signs of slowing down (more thoughts on that later), which should grant the watch a bright future. That said, I (and many others) will be curious to see how the PRX ends up evolving, and whether or not it will have real staying power for generations to come. Either way, for what it is right now, it’s a tough watch to beat when it comes to value and personality. It's that combination that is the real draw of the PRX, and today, in 2025, it’s only strengthened. The PRX Powermatic 80 remains w...
Teddy Baldassarre
The pilot watch genre is a funny thing. These watches are marketed and sold for their connection to history and/or their usefulness within the field of aviation. This history has set a visual identity that defines the genre to this day, with complications like flyback timers and slide rules often featuring heavily. Of course, very few of the owners put these features to use, with fewer still serving as actual pilots. Thus, the pilot watch genre really serves as more of a vibe than any kind of practical watermark. There are exceptions to this, however, and ironically enough, some of the most practical everyday tool watches find themselves with the “pilot watch” designation, and there is perhaps no better example of this than the IWC Mark XX. The name of the game with any great tool watch is clarity. Ideally, there’s nothing superfluous to cloud the core goals of the tool, with a premium placed on simple legibility. One of the strongest templates based on this ethos is the IWC Mark XI from the late ‘40s. It wasn’t the first IWC Mk watch, but it is the one responsible for casting a die that persists to this day in the form of the Mk XX. There are important distinctions, which I’ll get to, but the underpinnings of the modern Mk XX collection are built on the same general formula that made the Mk XI great: it’s easy to use, easy to understand, easy to wear, and is exactly as stout as it needs to be. IWC enjoys a highly developed design language for its range of pi...
SJX Watches
Rare Watches in Geneva kicks off the spring auction season for Christie’s. Some of the highlights amongst the sale’s 183 lots illustrates the history and evolution of horology, most notably with timepieces by Abraham-Louis Breguet and Francois-Paul Journe. The notable F.P. Journe offerings include a Resonance pre-souscription and a Ruthenium full house, complete with numbered box. The standouts from Breguet include a pocket watch first owned by Pauline Bonaparte, Napoleon’s younger sister, an early striking carriage clock, and an intriguing Type XX precursor literally gone askew. F.P Journe Principally inspired by the work of A.-L. Breguet and Antide Janvier, Francois-Paul Journe’s landmark Chronomètre à Résonance was the first attempt at synchronised, coupled oscillators in a wristwatch. The first numbered 20 examples were reserved for a Breguet-style souscription series – paid in advance by the client – but were not the first made. Image – Christie’s A handful of pre-production watches were made for Basel 1999, followed by the pre-souscription series to which this watch belongs. About 20 watches starting from “21” onwards are pre-souscription, and this is “041/00R”. Notably, one example prior, “040/00R”, sold for a little under CHF1.4 million including fees at Christie’s in 2023, setting a record. Image – Christie’s The Ruthenium collection, built in 99 examples each across five models from 2001 to 2005, includes the Octa Calendrie...
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Monochrome
While Eberhard & Co. is a household name among Italian watch collectors, its rich history and longstanding tradition in producing chronographs have yet to be discovered by a wider audience. Founded by Georges Eberhard in 1887 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the brand’s pocket watch chronographs gave way to its first wristwatch chronograph in 1919. Models that […]
SJX Watches
For the first time since 1998, and for only the second time in the nearly 100-year history of its most iconic model, Jaeger-LeCoultre has squeezed a world timer into the Reverso. The result is the Reverso Tribute Geographic, which features a demure primary dial with an outsize date on one side and an exquisite world time display on the other. The Geographic is available in a stainless steel case with a blue dial or as part of a 150-piece limited edition in 18k rose gold featuring a chocolate brown dial. Both models share the same dimensions, which are unfortunately a bit on the large side. Initial thoughts There’s a lot to like about the Reverso Geographic. Reversos like this that hide a complication on the second dial are deeply appealing to me, and carry with them the thrill of keeping a secret. It also gives the watch a split personality, enabling the wearer to choose the dial that matches their mood. While I immediately liked the concept of the Geographic, I was slightly disappointed to see the dimensions, which match those of the Reverso Tribute Chronograph launched in 2023. At 49.4 mm long by 29.9 mm wide, the Geographic is among the larger Reversos, meaning it loses some of the intended vintage charm. That said, the size is a consequence of its functionality – a smaller case size would make the world time display unreasonably small. One of the things I liked about the Tribute Chronograph that also applies to the Geographic is the fact that it’s very much a sle...
Fratello
As the Northern Hemisphere eagerly anticipates spring’s arrival, the watchmaking community’s attention turns to Geneva, where the prestigious Watches and Wonders fair will take place from April 1st to 7th, 2025. This year’s event promises to be the largest and most diverse gathering in its four-year history. A record 60 brands will be taking over […] Visit Watches And Wonders 2025: Geneva’s Grand Horological Showcase Is Here to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
This past Friday, we had the pleasure of kicking off the first-ever Dallas Windup Watch Fair with an unforgettable evening celebrating Bulova’s 150-year legacy. Hosted at the Alamo Drafthouse Cedars, the event brought together watch enthusiasts for an exclusive screening of a brand-new documentary, America Telling Time: 150 Years of Bulova, which chronicles the brand’s history of innovation and firsts. The night began with guests arriving and settling in, followed by an insightful introduction from the Worn & Wound team. From there, the lights dimmed, and the much-anticipated film took center stage, offering a deep dive into the pioneering spirit that has defined Bulova for a century and a half. The documentary featured rich storytelling and stunning visuals, including artwork by the talented Alex Asfour (@Alex247), who created both the movie artwork and a special Texas-inspired piece for the occasion. Following the screening, the celebration continued at the Alamo Drafthouse bar, where attendees enjoyed refreshments on Bulova’s tab-an appreciated gesture for the passionate community that came out to support the event. Worn & Wound led a post-screening Q&A; with Richard Callamaras, Collector & Sales Manager at Bulova, and T.J. Harris, Bulova’s Director of Brand Communications. Conversations flowed as guests reflected on the film, shared their enthusiasm for horology, and toasted to Bulova’s milestone anniversary. For those who missed the screening, there’s goo...
Fratello
Another Friday, another list! This week, we’ll start looking ahead to Watches and Wonders. With the world’s biggest watch fair approaching, it’s time to highlight brands celebrating different anniversaries. One of them is Vacheron Constantin, which is celebrating its 270th anniversary in 2025. As that long history is too extensive to sum up with a […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Modern Vacheron Constantin Models to read the full article.
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Monochrome
Pequignet was founded in 1973 by Emile Pequignet in Morteau, a French city in the mountains next to the Swiss border. The brand developed quickly in the 1980s and 1990s, but it has gone through its fair share of ups and downs in its 50 years of history. In the early 2000s, Pequignet initiated the […]
Teddy Baldassarre
IWC is a Swiss watch company, founded by an American, whose history is closely tied with Germany. But one of its most enduringly popular timepiece families is called the Portugieser, and it’s likely that lots of enthusiasts and would-be owners don’t even know why - or that the watch itself preceded that now-familiar name by many decades. What's indisputable is the Portugieser's key role in IWC's history and its impact on watchmaking - from its humble origins as a market-specific experiment to its modern incarnation as a major pillar of IWC's collection. 1939: Two Portuguese Businessmen Walk Into a Watch Factory… Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Actually, don’t bother, because I’ll be retelling the origin story of the IWC Portugieser anyway, for those who aren’t familiar with it. Like much of the rest of the world, in the throes of the Great Depression and under the gathering storm clouds of a second World War, the Swiss watch industry was facing rough economic times in the 1930s. The International Watch Company, based in Schaffhausen in Switzerland’s German-speaking north, dealt with the challenges in a number of practical ways. One was by making wristwatches that could be worn by military pilots for the aerial combat that was looking increasingly inevitable. (I tell that story in much more detail here.) Another was by expanding its reach to international markets such as Portugal. Thus it came to be that two gentlemen by the name of Antonio...
SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet’s 150th anniversary debuts are centred on perpetual calendars (at least for now), marking the closing of one chapter and the opening of another. The ingenious new calibre 7138 perpetual calendar marks a definitive new chapter in the brand’s history, while the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar “150th Anniversary” Openworked is the swan song for a storied cal. 2120 movement that Audemars Piguet (AP) has relied on for decades. Presented in titanium with a polished BMG bezel, the final edition perpetual calendar is inspired by the Royal Oak pocket watch ref. 25729. This pocket watch lends its sapphire-and-blue aesthetic to the anniversary perpetual calendar, although the pocket watch was ironically powered by a manual wind calibre (as pocket watches tend to be). The ref. 25729PT was a 20-piece limited edition with a matching platinum chain, made in 1992 for the 20th anniversary of the Royal Oak Initial thoughts The anniversary edition marks the end of the cal. 5134/5135 (and the preceding cal. 2120/2800), the long-lived perpetual calendar movement that AP launched in 1978. While great in its time, the movement was dated and somewhat low-tech by modern standards. The retirement of the movement is well deserved, and it is certainly going out in style. At a distance the anniversary perpetual calendar is familiar, but up close it reveals details that make it a little bit more interesting than its peers. These include the blue ringed-sapphire dial, retro signatu...
SJX Watches
The oldest continuously operating watchmaker, Vacheron Constantin marks its 270th anniversary in 2025. In honour of this milestone, the brand has inaugurated The Quest: 270 Years of Seeking Excellence, an exhibition dedicated to its history and timepieces. Divided into four chapters, the exhibition includes archival materials and exceptional timepieces, illustrating the brand’s impressive heritage and knowhow. Now on show in Abu Dhabi until April 15, The Quest will make its way to other countries around the world over the course of the year. The exhibition’s first section, “Beginning”, delves into the brand’s early years with rarely seen historical documents and objects. Notable milestones include the invention of the pantograph, which standardised watch components by improving tolerances, and the Kallista, a 1970s watches made from a one-kilogram gold ingot and adorned with 118 diamonds, and reputedly the most expensive watch in the world at the time. The second chapter, “Artistic Crafts and Finishing,” highlights the brand’s watchmaking and craftsmanship, including engraving, enamelling, gem-setting, and guillochage. The “High Watchmaking” chapter invites visitors to explore the intricate craftsmanship behind the brand’s most complex movements with displays that magnify the tiny components of a movement. Most notably is a set of six sliding glass panels showcasing the 2,877 individual parts and 63 complications of the most complex watch ever, the Be...
Fratello
Do you like themed parties? I’m not a huge fan but, as they say, different strokes for different folks. Audemars Piguet celebrates its 150th anniversary this year, and although such a monumental moment in the brand’s history could well do without a theme, there is one. The theme “AP” picked and explored is ergonomics. It […] Visit Introducing All Of Audemars Piguet’s First-Semester Novelties For 2025: New Perpetual Calendars, Ceramic Offshore Variants, And Three Code 11.59 Models to read the full article.
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Worn & Wound
Over the last several years we’ve seen all kinds of models pop up for the creation and distribution of limited edition watches. It’s becoming more and more clear that this most recent period in watch enthusiast history will almost certainly be known as the “Limited Edition Boom,” or something along those lines. Look at the pages of any watch media website, including this one, and you’ll find that news items about various LEs and collaborations dominate the conversation, so it’s no wonder that a cottage industry has sprung up to develop these kinds of watches specifically. Watch Angels is one such platform seeking to provide an ecosystem for brands (mostly independent) to create limited edition versions of watches that are funded by the eventual purchasers. It’s like the old souscription model crossed with Kickstater, with the main difference between Watch Angels and typical crowdfunding mechanisms being that these projects are largely one-offs from already established brands, and not debut collections from a start-up enterprise. Frederique Constant, certainly not a brand most observers would expect to dabble in a crowdfunding project, is the latest to partner with Watch Angels on a new limited edition release. The Frederique Constant Worldtimer Manufacture seen here is a new and slightly more refined spin on a signature Frederique Constant complication. They’ve been making some version of this watch since 2012 (remember their 10th anniversary worldtimer t...
Fratello
Two years ago, when Rolex acquired Bucherer, a multi-brand retail store with over 100 locations, it also included the jeweler’s watch brand Carl F. Bucherer. So, as of 2023, the Rolex crown was protected by the Tudor shield and a second brand with a history that dates back to 1888. You would think that a […] Visit Rolex Shuts Down Watch Brand Carl F. Bucherer, And That’s Hardly A Surprise to read the full article.
Fratello
Another Friday, another list! This week, we look at the brilliant and rich history of Omega Seamaster dive watches. The lineage started in 1957 with the introduction of the first Seamaster 300, which was part of Omega’s famous trilogy along with the first Speedmaster and Railmaster models. After that, the brand released many iconic dive […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Vintage Omega Seamaster Dive Watches to read the full article.
Fratello
Welcome back to another episode of Fratello On Air! This week, we stick to Rolex under €8K and pick our favorites. The entire history of the brand is up for grabs as long as the price is right. Enjoy the episode, and tune in to the watch content after approximately 19 minutes. This podcast player […] Visit Fratello On Air: Rolex Under €8K - Our Favorites to read the full article.
Quill & Pad
Breguet needs your love. Despite excellent products, a rich history, significant investment, and financial stability, the company bearing this most illustrious name often ranks among the most anonymous in the space. Tim Mosso thinks that needs to change.
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