Two Broke Watch Snobs
Weird Watches Collectors Secretly Love: Hands-on Reviewed Oddballs
Explore the weird watches collectors secretly love, with hands-on analysis on watches from Russia, Japan, the U.S., the U.K., and Switzerland.
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Two Broke Watch Snobs
Explore the weird watches collectors secretly love, with hands-on analysis on watches from Russia, Japan, the U.S., the U.K., and Switzerland.
Fratello
Another auction week in Geneva is upon us. That means most of the attention goes to the big lots that fetch the big bucks. But there’s more to auctions than setting records. Auctions are also a way to bump into childhood heroes, to see watches that got away, or to find an unexpected new love. […] Visit What Does Antiquorum Have On Auction That Might Fit Your Budget? to read the full article.
Teddy Baldassarre
Utility meets understated elegance with the new Saxonia Annual Calendar 36 that debuted at Watches & Wonders 2026.
Worn & Wound
eBay Finds is back! This bi-monthly installment will feature a selection of watches currently listed on eBay that have caught the eye of editor Christoph McNeil (@vintagediver). If you come across any hidden gems on the ‘Bay drop us a note at info@wornandwound.com for potential inclusion. Vintage Favre Leuba Chronograph Got a nice one to start off this week, this vintage Favre Leuba chronograph. The chunky 35mm cushion case is gold plated, and is in excellent condition. Nice edges and original brushed finish with stainless steel back. The back has the cool Favre Leuba hourglass logo engraved. It has a really nice chocolate brown dial with gold hands and applied gold hour markers. The subdials are also the same color brown, with red accents on the 3 o’clock dial. The large winding crown is also signed with the hourglass logo as it should. The gold and brown combo gives it a rich look. The watch is powered by the venerable Valjoux 23 manual wind chronograph movement. I have a chronograph with the same movement, and I can tell you that it is as buttery smooth as they come. The movement is clean and the watch runs well per the seller. View auction here Grand Seiko 4522-8000 Next up is a fantastic vintage Grand Seiko 4522-8000 hi-beat dress watch. The 36mm steel case is the epitome of Seiko’s “Grammar of Design” aesthetic, with broad flat planes, razor sharp edges, and a mix of brushed and polished finishes. Often these have been polished, and even the slightest...
Teddy Baldassarre
An in-depth look at the newly-released Nomos Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer white dial, which might just be the most versatile in the collection yet.
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Deployant
Bell & Ross continues to enrich its iconic and most popular collection with a new green dial version of the BR-03. Press release with commentary.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Explore the vintage-style dive watches that stood out most in our hands-on reviews, balancing retro character with real-world wearability.
Time+Tide
JLC is bringing its Reverso Stories exhibition to Miami, and this weekend, the Time+Tide will host the British Watchmakers' Weekender in NYC.
SJX Watches
Recently revived Genevan haute horlogerie brand Niton jumps into the jumping hours market with the Prima — one of the more refined high-end examples of the industry’s latest favourite complication. It features a bespoke, shaped calibre that proudly carries the Poinçon de Genève — true to its inspiration — and is packed with creative choices and features. Initial thoughts Not long ago it seemed like 2025 would go down as the year of the jump hour, but the trend was evidently just getting started. The Niton Prima exemplifies this ongoing trend with surprising elegance and historical fidelity. As a rule of thumb, I view revival brands with a degree of scepticism; I would prefer people make a name for themselves rather than buying one. However, the Niton Prima shows a clear understanding of — and passion for — the source material, so I am satisfied this is not a mere cash-grab. It doesn’t hurt that the watch is excellent inside and out, and while expensive in absolute terms, it is fairly priced for what you get. The movement deserves special mention as the source of much of the appeal, being a true shaped movement — a very handsome one at that — and a competent timekeeper. It is finely finished with a plethora of interesting and clever features, including hidden screws for joining the bridges and mainplate, a small seconds hand that stops itself at 60 after the crown is pulled, and a sonnerie au passage to enhance the sound of the jump hour. Another point i...
SJX Watches
Seiko is reinforcing its entry level collection with the 5 Sports Field Series, a range of new models with compass bezels available in a range of dial colours from instrument-like white to brown, which seems to be a popular colour at the moment. While substantively similar to existing Seiko 5 Sports models and equally well priced, the Field Series watches feature serrated compass bezels with a glittering hobnail motif that is both functional — for enhanced grip — and attractive. Left to right: HDB009, HDB008, HDB006, and HDB007. Image – Seiko Initial thoughts The Seiko 5 Sports collection is perhaps the ultimate gateway to watch collecting. It’s the rare entry level watch that could be someone’s last watch as easily as their first. Not everyone is a collector, and some people just want a watch that does what is asked without asking for much in return. The Seiko 5 Sports fits the bill, while opening the door to the larger world of mechanical watches. The Seiko 5 is tangibly appealing in several respects, being one of the most affordable mechanical watches from a fully integrated manufacture. With Seiko, there’s no wondering who made what — the brand even formulates its own luminous compound for the hands, hour markers, and bezel pip instead of relying on the same suppliers as everyone else. Seiko also understands the aesthetic history of the wristwatch because the brand helped write it. This explains some of the subtle details like the tiny serifs on the hour ...
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Time+Tide
There are moments in the life of a new space when you stop and think: this is exactly what we built it for.
SJX Watches
Daniel Roth’s latest addition to its time-only portfolio is the Extra Plat Platinum. A familiar face in a new colourway, the Extra Plat offers the Tourbillon Platinum‘s stealthy look in a more accessible two-hand format. Powered by the DR002 in-house calibre developed by Louis Vuitton’s La Fabrique du Temps (LFT), this regular production model brings a decidedly subtle look to the brand’s simple dress watch. Initial thoughts It’s been interesting to observe Louis Vuitton’s confident foray into haute horlogerie through the revival of Daniel Roth. Despite the corporate structure, astute collectors continue to speak of Daniel Roth in the same breath as other leading independent watchmakers. To the independent-collecting cognoscenti, the platinum Extra Plat should prove a compelling option – rooted in the early history of the independent watchmaking movement but built to meet contemporary expectations. Following Daniel Roth’s launch of the Tourbillon Souscription, the time-only, manually wound Extra Plat — “extra flat” for non-French speakers — debuted in an 18k yellow gold souscription edition followed closely by regular production models in rose gold, with and without skeletonisation. The new platinum Extra Plat rounds out the set. Combined with the matching dial with contrasting finishes, it creates a rather stealthy profile for this otherwise opulently finished dress watch. Extra Plat-inum The platinum double-ellipse case shares the wrist-friendly d...
SJX Watches
Girard-Perregaux (GP) has expanded the Laureato Chronograph collection with an on-trend two-tone model with a brown dial. For fans of the Laureato — or 1970s-inspired sports watches in general — the new steel-and-rose gold reference strikes a balance between casual and luxurious. While not a limited edition, GP intends to start production with a small run of just 50 pieces. Initial thoughts Earth-tone dials seem to be having a moment. As more watch brands continue to explore brown dials and earth tones, GP has jumped in with its own interpretation. Brown can be a difficult colour to pull off, but the glittering hobnail texture of the Laureato’s dial lends this casual colour a degree of luxury and keeps it from looking dull. The new two-tone variant features the same dimensions as its stablemates, with a diameter of 42 mm and a thickness of 12.16 mm. But at a time when watches seem to be getting smaller, the 42 mm size feels larger than ever. Of course, size has its perks — the large dial opening reveals a richly detailed dial, and the 18k rose gold bezel has plenty of personality at this scale. For those who find the size intimidating on paper, the integrated rubber strap should remove much of the perceived bulk on the wrist. Rubber hasn’t always been considered a luxury material, but today it’s an industry staple, and an appealing alternative to the weight of steel or precious metal. The everyday luxury chronograph The Laureato Chronograph is fundamentally a ...
Fratello
In this new series, we will focus on (neo-)vintage watches that can now be found at interesting prices on the secondary market. We will select watches we have come across in our searches for nice pieces or simply those we think could fulfill a certain desire or role in one’s collection. For this first installment, […] Visit Is It Worth It: Pre-Owned Omega Constellation ‘95 to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Among the great surprises from Watches & Wonders 2026 was the Monaco Evergraph from TAG Heuer. The new model not only brought some welcome aesthetic changes to the iconic square chronograph, but also benefits from a core rethinking of the chronograph mechanism itself. The Evergraph’s movement is notable in many respects, but the most interesting is the use of bi-stable compliant structures for the chronograph mechanisms. Initial thoughts This year’s Watches & Wonders was marked by some interesting developments — not least some renewed emphasis on technical substance from a subset of brands. While mainstream luxury still dominates the market, there was a shift toward thoughtful engineering and incremental innovation that could be felt across many releases. One such remarkably technical release was the Evergraph from TAG Heuer. While there’s no shortage of chronographs coming to market — from solid entry-level pieces to low-volume artisanal offerings — few are as genuinely forward-thinking as the Evergraph and its innovative TH80-00 movement. The TH80-00 was created by TAG Heuer in partnership with Vaucher Fleurier — a specialist noted for its expertise in chronographs — over a period of four years. TAG Heuer chose the longer road of developing a movement from ground up and not just applying its novel flexure chronograph mechanism to an existing base. As a result, the brand had a clean slate to incorporate signature elements like the nine o’clock crow...
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Hodinkee
Quincy Jones was an absolute king. He was a towering figure in the music industry, leaving an indelible stamp on popular culture through his producing, arranging, and film score work. From early collaborations with Count Basie, Ray Charles, and Frank Sinatra to producing one of the top-selling albums of all time (Thriller by Michael Jackson), not to mention We Are The World, he made the soundtrack for many of our lives. During a well-lived lifetime spanning 91 years, he was rewarded with accolades, including the entertainment industry grand slam 'EGOT' (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards). There were also plenty of watches and jewelry gifted and collected during his epic life and career. Now some of Quincy Jones' unique pieces are heading to auction at Christie's in Geneva this month. We got a sneak preview of some of the catalog, including these three pieces, that the family has consigned. A couple of them were gifts from notable celebrities to Jones. They all give a sense of some of the objects worn and cherished by one of the most important figures in entertainment history. Girard-Perregaux World Time Control Shadow 'Quincy Jones' Sized at 43mm in diameter with both a flyback chronograph and a worldtime complication, this Girard-Perregaux, dated from 2011, has a lot going on. The beefy case features a smooth black ceramic exterior, a titanium caseback, and an interior housing, in a size and style that's very representative of the era for the Swiss brand. The watch...
Two Broke Watch Snobs
The new G-SHOCK Black and Electro Green Collection lands five affordable models in a matte black, military-inspired finish.
Deployant
Peter Speake emerges once again with a new collaboration with Schwarz Etienne to release the new 1902 Synergy. This was revealed in WWG26.
Fratello
We have covered quite a few historical stories about Rolex here on the Fratello site. Today, we have another, this time about a special gold Oyster Perpetual that belonged to Holocaust survivor Kurt Kahn. Let’s dive in. Some watches merely tell time, while others tell stories. Very rarely, one encounters a piece that does both […] Visit Holocaust Survivor’s Rolex Oyster Perpetual To Go Up For Auction to read the full article.
SJX Watches
The spring auction season gets underway in Geneva in just a few days. On episode 39 of the SJX Podcast, we look at some of the top lots that caught our attention at Phillips, Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Antiquorum, including a cloisonné enamel Patek Philippe worldtime ref. 2523, an Akrivia AK-06, and several notable pocket watches from names like Frodsham, Kullberg, Ditisheim, Patek Philippe, and A. Lange & Söhne. Auction dates (in order): Phillips: May 9 & 10 Antiquorum: May 9 & 10 Sotheby’s: May 10 Christie’s: May 11 & 12 Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
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SJX Watches
One of the quieter hits from Watches & Wonders was Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo Automatic 37 mm, a watch that would probably have grabbed more headlines were it not for its visual similarity to the well-known 40 mm model. In pictures, it’s difficult to tell the sizes apart, but on the wrist the difference could not be more stark. Available in three versions in two different case materials — all regular production models — the 37 mm Octo Finissimo is powered by a new micro-rotor calibre that, while smaller than its sibling, manages to stretch the power reserve to 72 hours. Initial thoughts I’ve always appreciated the unique aesthetic of the Octo Finissimo, especially the matte titanium look that debuted in 2017. In some ways, it feels like the Royal Oak or Nautilus of my generation — an elegant sports watch with a distinctive voice. It’s a contemporary design that feels like it has staying power. This aspect of the Octo Finissimo should not be understated. The deluge of generic-looking integrated bracelet sports watches we’ve witnessed over the past five years proves that it’s very difficult to create a differentiated design within this format. For Bulgari, the development of the Octo Finissimo — with its wide bracelet and short-pitched links — was like capturing magic in a bottle. Unfortunately, the square shoulders of the 40 mm case ride up over my ulnar styloid (wrist bone) causing the case to sit at an odd angle — never flat and straight as intended ...
Hodinkee
There's no shortage of watches this auction season—more than 1,200 lots across the major houses—but volume isn't really the story. At Christie's and Sotheby's, the focus feels different this time around, moving past the hype-driven pieces of the early 2020s and back to some genuinely compelling and surprising watches. Last week, we published part one of our preview—today, we're finishing it up with part two. Christie’s I would argue that Christie's always has one of the more subtle and yet impressive catalogs. There are some truly fantastic pieces here and, as always, we'll start at the top. Lot 134, a unique and absolutely stunningly gorgeous (add all the superlatives you want) two-tone 14k pink gold and steel Audemars Piguet "Observatory-style" watch. Photo courtesy Christie's. If you're looking for a watch that my friend and current "Bring a Loupe" writer Weston Cutter called an "immediate knee-weakener," you need to sit down for this one. Lot 134 is a unique and absolutely stunningly gorgeous (add all the superlatives you want) two-tone 14k pink gold and steel Audemars Piguet "Observatory-style" watch. The watch is powered by a 13-ligne 13VZAS movement that was highly modified for precision as a time-only watch, with a large subsidiary seconds at 9 o'clock and a blank subdial at 3 o'clock. Bold numerals, bold design, it's the kind of thing you dream about if you collect early watches, and the estimate is a hilarious CHF 50,000 to 100,000. It should go for way m...
Hodinkee
What We Know For me, a De Bethune has to take a cue from Miles Davis. It better be "Kind of Blue." Over at EsperLuxe, the indie retailer outside of Boston, it seems like they agree with me. There are a few firsts in the new DB27 "Night Hawk," at least for the DB27 collection. Normally called the "Titan Hawk," it's previously come in a slightly more straightforward package, with concentric "microlight" circles engraved on the dial, the patented articulating lugs, and the crown at 12 o'clock. But there are many features here that the DB27 hasn't had before. For the first time, a titanium flame-blued "Starry Sky" motif appears on the dial, with stars laid out to mark the date and location where EsperLuxe finalized its partnership with De Bethune in 2021. Not new, but a good look, are the printed silver Roman numerals on the sloping middle dial, the printed railroad track, and the 5-minute intervals. The watch features mirror-polished flame-blued titanium hands with silver tips. The case is polished grade 5 titanium, with a midcase engraved in De Bethune's microlight style. But the kicker is the super-cool (again, first time ever) matte-blue titanium short, articulating lugs. I know that it's weird to go on and on about lugs, but some of you haven't had a chance to try on a De Bethune. Yes, the case is 43mm in diameter, 9mm thick (which is pretty good, considering it has an automatic movement), but with the hinge on the lugs, the lug can vary in range from about 50mm to 47mm...
SJX Watches
Phillips’s upcoming sale The Geneva Watch Auction: XXIII is packed with spectacular watches, including some already well known to collectors like the extra complicated La Royale by Louis Audemars, an unsual Patek Philippe worldtime ref. 2523, and the Golay Fils & Stahl astronomical watch. But among the finest is a simple watch that tracks only the time and state of wind, yet is comprised of several hundred parts: Victor Kullberg No 6583. Behind those three hands is a one-minute tourbillon equipped with an Earnshaw detent escapement, a massive free-sprung compensation balance, anti-magnetic helical balance spring and reverse chain and fusee, making it one of the most elaborate three-hand watches imaginable. Even at its high estimate of US$102,000, this pocket chronometer amounts to something of a steal, especially in an auction where multiple steel sports watches carry much greater estimates. The cult of the chronometer Swiss and English horologists disagreed on a great many things, from the ideal shape and material of escape wheels to the definition of a chronometer. To the Swiss, the title of chronometer was bestowed based on merit as a timekeeper. Any watch could be one if it kept good time, especially with a trusted, independent attestation of its accuracy. Watches submitted to observatory trials — or tested according to the ISO 3159:2009 standard today — are chronometers by this reckoning. England was dominated by the cult of the [marine] chronometer, unsurprisin...
Hodinkee
At Hodinkee, we have always believed that watch collecting is a global language, but one that is spoken with many different local accents. From the paved paths of Geneva to the neon-lit boutiques of Ginza and the steamy streets of New York City, the love for a mechanical heartbeat remains the same, yet the way we live with our watches is shaped entirely by the world around us. Today, we are thrilled to announce the next chapter in our journey: the official launch of Hodinkee Australia & New Zealand. The ANZ watch community has long been one of the most sophisticated and passionate in the world. For years, we've watched from New York as the Aussies and Kiwis became some of our communities' most ardent enthusiasts, known for a taste profile that is as rugged as it is refined. To bring Hodinkee to the region, we have partnered with Switzer Media + Publishing. With over 30 years of history, Switzer is one of Australia's most trusted names in media, already stewarding iconic titles like Harper's BAZAAR, Esquire, and Men's Health. This partnership functions as a local element from day one. Speaking from my own perspective, with the continued success of Hodinkee Japan, I'm thrilled to be working with Jamie and the team at Switzer Media to offer a more locally relevant and engaging edition of Hodinkee for watch enthusiasts across Australia and New Zealand. The watch community in Australia and New Zealand is engaged, highly knowledgeable, and always an active part of the global c...
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