Results for Quartz Crisis

Bring a Loupe: A Pair Of Honest Tudors And The First Quartz-Powered Patek Philippe Wristwatch

All that and more in this week's edition of Hodinkee's What's Selling Where column.

Out of Order Gets in on the Mother-of-Pearl Trend with a Collection of Affordable Quartz Divers

Mother-of-pearl has long acted as a sort of bridge between the commercial and artistic worlds of Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Venetian artisans were particularly known for incorporating mother-of-pearl into luxurious pieces of jewelry and decorative art, cementing its role as a symbol of opulence and elegance. It comes as no surprise, then, that Venice’s own Out of Order has released their unique spin on the material with the Casanova 38. While one elective course taken in college hardly qualifies me as an art historian, the first thought I had when viewing the Casanova was of artwork displayed on subdued museum walls, drawing the eye to the works themselves rather than their surroundings. In that vein, the Casanova’s three decidedly dazzling color options (pink, turquoise, and green) are paired with comparatively conservative styling. This lets the pearlescent dial rightfully take center stage, while other more functional features of the watch-like the screw-down crown, 100-meter water resistance, and butterfly clasp-act as supportive extras. That doesn’t mean that the Casanova lacks distinct design details, though. The hand-applied indices and aluminum bezel insert match the chosen dial color and feature Superluminova C3 lume, and the top of the seconds hand and crown both feature the cheeky signature triple-O logo, differentiating the Casanova from other similarly-styled watches in the company’s own lineup. Furthermore, Out of Order’s slogan, “Dama...

Sailing with the Yema Yachtingraf Croisiere Meca-Quartz

As we begin jockeying for position behind the starting line aboard Escapade, an Ericson 29 sailing yacht, we hear the first warning siren blast and I immediately click in the top pusher. The skeletonized yellow arrow hand begins to tick away the seconds as ‘Cappy’ yells, “Ready to tack?!” Giving the green jib sheet two wraps on the winch with my left hand and taking the red jib sheet in my right, I yell back “Ready!” The boat starts to come over into the wind pushing the jib (the forwardmost sail) into the boat, across its bow, and onto the other side. During this, I allow the red line to slowly let out while beginning to pull in the green slowly, then, once the jib passes the midway point, I release the red all together and begin pulling in the green as fast as I can until the jib is fully under tension and our speed begins to climb. A glance down at the 9 o’clock big-eye register shows that we have three minutes to start, information I relay quickly as we begin to weave our way through the pack. Two minutes now, the call for a gybe, and another turn back towards the line. As our speed begins to build, the bow lunges closer to the start line fighting for a perfect start against the crowded pack of seasoned sailors while making sure not to cross too early. The siren blasts again, the big-eye circular hand hits zero, and we cross over the line in second place under wind at roughly four knots.  While it might seem to be an entirely useless complication for the...

Is It Time For a Patek Philippe Men’s Model In Quartz?

Introducing: The Hamilton Khaki Field Quartz

Tick tick tick tick tick.

Grand Seiko Quartz Guide: The SBGP013

Today we’re looking at one of the best ways to get into Grand Seiko if you’re just discovering the brand for the first time. Or maybe you’re just looking for your “one nice watch” and want something that can do it all. One that can go straight from the office to kicking back on the weekend, perhaps even dressing up for special occasions. A GADA watch, if you will. So if you’re just now starting to go down the rabbit hole of luxury watches, you’ve probably become somewhat familiar with Grand Seiko. The brand came into existence in 1960 as a high-end offshoot of Seiko, a shot across the bow of the Swiss watch industry, and a statement that its quality could match anything in the watchmaking world.  One thing you’ll notice as you start to look deeper into Grand Seiko is the astonishing level of craftsmanship that touches every part of every watch they make. Just like Rolex and Seiko itself, Grand Seiko is one of the most vertically integrated watch brands in the world – in other words, it manufactures nearly everything that goes into its watches. From finely polished stainless steel, precious metals, and high-intensity titanium cases to its innovative and beautifully finished movements and breathtaking dials that draw inspiration from nature, Grand Seiko does it all, going to some extraordinary lengths, including growing its own proprietary quartz crystals, and manufacturing the lubricants that go into each movement.  If you take a look at Teddy’s video ...

Two New Takes on the Richard Mille RM 65-01 in Blue and Yellow Quartz TPT

Introducing: The Richard Mille RM 65-01 Automatic Split-Seconds Chronograph In Yellow And Blue Quartz TPT

Richard Mille's most complicated automatic watch gets a material makeover.

Selling Points that Don’t Sell Me: Quartz Snobbery

Snob is a loaded, and sometimes divisive word in horology. Being called a snob, or calling someone a snob, is a quick way to draw blood by attacking someone’s particular approach to enthusiasm. As an enthusiast who cherishes the community aspect of this hobby, I’ve always been proud that my foundation in this hobby was built on the absence of snobbery. Or so I thought.  I’m a frugal guy, and enthusiasm on a budget is a common theme in most of my articles. A keen eye for value shaped my early days in the hobby- an approach I haven’t managed to shake. For years, I assumed that embracing watches in all price brackets was enough to rid myself of any snobbery.  But the more I “learned” about watches, the more I noticed snobbery seeping into my opinions, and in some cases stopping me from experiencing some truly awesome watches. I’d fawn over the latest Lorier release, only to question how a Hesalite crystal would hold up to an active lifestyle. Or I’d opt not to experience a 5 ATM field watch that I truly liked, instead compromising for 10 and 20 ATM alternatives. A quartz crystal, a small part of which is bound for a Grand Seiko 9F caliber I’ve since gone through an un-learning process thanks to a handful of watches that challenged what I thought I knew and allowed me to expand my horological horizons by kicking some snobby tendencies. For the next few installments of Selling Points That Don’t Sell Me, let’s explore some selling points that DO sell me a...

An Affordable, Stylish, and Proudly Quartz Collaboration from Paulin and The Armoury

Paulin celebrated its 10th year in 2023 and on this anniversary, they embarked on a new chapter by officially merging with fellow Scottish and celebrated watch brand, anOrdain. Since COVID played havoc on traditional brick and mortar retailers, Paulin had to rethink their business model and joining anOrdain was the perfect solution. Their future never looked so bright! Their newest model is called the Modul, and the name is quite fitting due to its modular construction. The steel body that houses the movement sits within a brushed steel outer case, which is held together by two hex screws on either side of the crown. This type of structure allows the owner to swap out the inner module, should they want to change dial color or movement type (manual wind or quartz).  Inspired by a recent trip to Scotland the good folks at The Armoury joined forces with Paulin, to create the Honk Kong Dial and a new Modul watch was born. Instead of Roman and Arabic numerals, as on California dials, they have chosen Roman and Chinese, which is appropriate considering The Armoury’s Eastern and Western locations. The visual weight of the Chinese numerals at 4, 5, 7 and 8 o’clock match their Roman counterparts above perfectly.  This vintage infused design comes in four colorways: black dial (more like gray) with gold numerals and minute track, light blue dial with silver numerals and track, purple dial with lavender numerals and track, and lastly yellow dial with black numerals and white tr...

Laco Introduces the Atacama Quartz UTC, a True Tool No Matter How You Slice It

Doomsday preppers and the most hardcore of watch collectors are in for a real treat. German watch manufacturer Laco is doubling down on the success of its Atacama.2 by introducing the Atacama Quarz UTC. It’s a more affordable and focused watch with a new trick up its sleeve: GMT functionality. Primarily known for their excellent pilot watches, Laco has collaborated closely with German soldiers, firefighters, and other action-oriented professionals to hone their “Squad and Sport” timepieces. It only takes a glance to understand. You can learn a lot about this watch in its name. It’s still an Atacama, which means it shares the same PVD-coated treatment, date complication, rubber strap, unidirectional bezel, and matte dial as the Atacama.2. But now it’s powered by quartz, “Quarz” in German, and features an independent GMT – or UTC – hand. The new watch is 46mm in diameter, but the Ronda 515 GMT quartz movement inside has enabled Laco to slim the watch down to 10.5mm with a “contact area” of just 34mm. This is also in part due to the conical shape of the case, allowing the watch to feel much smaller and comfortable on the wrist than its maximum diameter may suggest. The use of black PVD-coating and generous amounts of lume on the hands, dial, and bezel result in a watch that is supremely legible to its wearer while remaining subdued to would-be onlookers (or enemies). The crown at twelve o-clock is integrated into and protected by the articulating lugs. D...

Introducing: Alpina's New Alpiner Heritage Carrée And Startimer Pilot Quartz Worldtimer

Two different sides of Alpina's past and future.

Glasgow’s Paulin Returns with the Modul, Available in Quartz and Mechanical Versions

For watch enthusiasts, some big news out of Scotland this month: Paulin Watches, the Glasgow based brand that this year marks a decade in business, has been acquired by anOrdain, fellow Glaswegians and occasional collaborators. This, quite obviously, begins a new chapter for Paulin, a brand that has long been a favorite of ours here at Worn & Wound for their quirky and contemporary designs. The reboot happens under the watch of Imogen Ayers, a founding member of the anOrdain team, and Paulin’s Creative Director. Right out of the gate, they’ve introduced a new watch that signals a new direction, offering some hints about where the brand is heading.  The new watch, dubbed the Paulin Modul, is so named because it was inspired by the very concept of modular design. The Paulin team, having sourced a variety of unused vintage movements and not being certain of what types of calibers they’d have access to in the future, wanted to create a watch that could accommodate those different movements. This is a fairly radical idea, as anyone who has lamented slightly changed (usually increased) case dimensions following a movement “upgrade” in a product line can attest. For the Modul, the movement, dial, and hands are placed within a watertight, steel inner case, which is then attached to a steel outer case via a pair of screws on both sides. The cushion shaped case measures 35mm in diameter and is just 8.2mm tall.   To drive the modular point home, the Modul is available wi...

Bulova Classic Jet Star: Vintage Vibes and Ultra High Frequency Quartz

Introducing: The New 40mm Tissot Seastar 1000 Quartz

With a new middle ground size between existing models, Tissot now has a watch for everyone.

How I'd Spend $100K: First, I’d (Predictably) Buy A Vintage Rolex And A Speedmaster. Then Go Quartz, Dressy, And Gold.

After locking down the essentials, I'd spend on undervalued dress watches from Cartier, Breguet, and Lange.

To Be Precise: Quartz – It's Just Better

Made you look.

Nivada Grenchen Gives Us the Best of All Worlds with Chronoking Meca-Quartz

Nivada Grenchen’s Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver represents their interpretation of a multi-functional steel sports chronograph teeming with vintage attributes. The collection’s signature – a two subdial display, tachymeter scale integrated into the outer dial, and a rotating bezel that subtly incorporates a 12 hour display giving the already highly capable chronograph the ability to track another timezone. The vintage aesthetic doesn’t just harken back to the designs of your classic steel sport of watch of the 60’s and 70’s, it actually pulls from the very same design cues of the original Nivada Grenchen chronographs. Nivada’s current Chronoking Manual in particular retains the collection’s design language, but doubles down on the age-old appearance with its chocolate-toned subdials and yellow markers. Topping it all off, the Chronoking encases a Sellita SW510 manual movement in a tidy 38mm case. These are all attractive features and the norm within the Chronoking, as well as the rest of the Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver collection. The only caveat here is that their chronographs are positioned within a crowded price tier filled with brands offering something relatively similar in design and function. However recently, Nivada Grenchen released a very enticing iteration of their Chronoking in the Chronoking Meca-Quartz. Albeit sold out, the Nivada Grenchen Chronoking Meca-Quartz includes all the charming traits and functionality at an approachable $479. Vi...

Pre-Owned Picks: Quartz Watches Even A Watch Snob Could Love

Six battery-powered watches that don't sacrifice craftsmanship.

Entry Level: Sure, Grand Seiko's Entry Level Is Quartz, But That Only Makes Me Love It More

The simple SBGX Series lets you 'set it and forget it' for 50 years.

Watching Movies: Zachary Quinto Predicts The Financial Crisis Wearing A Porsche Design Chronograph In 'Margin Call'

An all-black chrono goes great with impending doom in our watch-related movie of the week.

The Best Moon Phase Watches of 2024 | Mechanical and Quartz Options

Get all the charm and novelty of a moon phase watch without breaking your budget - here are 10 moon phase timepieces to explore!

In-Depth: A New Exhibit Shows How Patek Helped Start The Quartz Race

Powerhouse dealers Analog:Shift and Collectability team up for Meeting Point, a New York exhibition of Patek Philippe's atomic age master clocks – including an ultra-rare clock bearing the Rolex and Patek double signature.

Furlan Marri Introduces Permanent Collection of Mecha-quartz Models

Time Traveler’s Clock: Deciding An Atomic Clock, GPS Signal, Quartz Clock And Marine Chronometer Alone Just Didn’t Cut The Mustard, This Inventor Synced Them All Together

Imagine that after discovering and rebuilding the (imaginary) Time Viewer originally constructed by Leonardo da Vinci, an inventor saw the need for a navigational clock for time travelers. Well one inventor, Tom Bales, did just that and acted upon it.