Hodinkee
The Grey NATO: Episode 118: On Paper, On Wrist - The Seiko SPB143
One has it, one doesn't.
1,354 articles · 49 videos found · page 12 of 47
Hodinkee
One has it, one doesn't.
SJX Watches
Jacob & Co. revisits a cinema classic with the Godfather II. A sequel to the acclaimed and extravagant Opera Godfather, the new model grounds the movement architecture while doubling down on the musical complication. Initial thoughts It is no secret that The Godfather trilogy is a personal favourite of jeweller and brand founder Jacob Arabo. He confessed his love for Francis Ford Coppola’s magnum opus when the Opera Godfather was first launched. A ticking music box, the timepiece played the famous Godfather Love Theme using a pin-barrel and comb system - a simple but reliable mechanism that sits at the heart of many music boxes. With this second model inspired by Mr Coppola’s saga, Jacob & Co. doubled down on the music box feature, adding a second tune that can be played in addition to the iconic theme. The second melody is the Godfather Waltz and the wearer can chose between either melody at the push of a button. While Jacob & Co. made a name for itself with opulent demonstrations of extravagant gemsetting, the Godfather II is unusually restrained, dialing back the flamboyance of the Opera Godfather without losing its musical virtuosity. The Art Deco-inspired case is a considered departure for Jacob & Co., a brand not typically associated with restraint. It suits the watch well, and suggests the manufacture is capable of more range than its catalogue suggests. The Godfather II is beloved by critics for portraying a grittier, more brutal reality of organised cr...
Time+Tide
With Watches and Wonders happening next month, participating (big box) brands have to wait before being able to release any novelties. However, the past seven days have been extremely busy for the independents and Swatch Group brands! We have Credor debuting a new ceramic dial time-only watch, Krayon playing on the Pac Man anniversary, and … ContinuedThe post New releases from Credor, Krayon, Nomos and more appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
The Squale Sub-37 Legend brings a 37mm case, sapphire box crystal, and Old Radium lume to the brand's growing dive watch lineup.
SJX Watches
Having teased its newest collection with a family and friends edition last year, Kollokium has finally taken the wraps off the Projekt 02 Variant B, which offers a low-profile die-cast stainless steel case and a terraced topographical dial. A massive box-form crystal contains the scene, offering a panoramic view of the 67 pieces that comprise the nine layers of the dial. A limited edition of 399 pieces, the Variant B is a well-priced entry point to the world of independent watchmaking, and could easily be worn daily. Initial thoughts Kollokium is a relatively new name in independent watchmaking, but the company’s three founders, collector Amr Sindi, designer Barth Nussbaumer, and Louis Erard managing director Manuel Emch, bring a trained eye and a fresh perspective to the brand. With a strong emphasis on design, underpinned by a simple but competent calibre, Kollokium seems to have mastered the game of trade-offs required to market a distinctive watch at an affordable price. Left to Right: Amr Sindi, Barth Nussbaumer, Manuel Emch. The Variant B is fundamentally a simple time-only watch, powered by an off-the-shelf La Joux-Perret cal. G101, an increasingly common base movement prized for its economy and autonomy, with a healthy 68-hour power reserve. But Kollokium’s watches are anything but ordinary, owing to the brand’s unusual dial treatments and case processing. The Variant B is technically the first publicly available version of the Projekt 02, which debuted last ...
Worn & Wound
When we create a post on the Worn & Wound blog, we check a little box on the sidebar of our backend system to categorize the watch we’re writing about. The options are things like “Diver,” and “Chronograph” and “Dress,” which is about what you’d expect, and these well understood categories are appropriate for most of the watches we write about. But my absolute favorite thing is when a news release (or an actual watch!) comes across my desk that can only fit into one category, at the very bottom of the list: Unique. More than any other brand (besides perhaps MB&F; and Urwerk), Ressence really has a lock on the Unique category here at Worn & Wound. One of many reasons we continue to be drawn to them year after year. Their latest, the Type 9 IKE, is unique even within the Ressence catalog. Built on the (relatively) approachable Type 9 platform, which features an easy to wear 39mm case and a simplified version of the already incredibly stripped down Ressence Orbital Convex System (ROCS), the new limited edition is a collaboration with Japanese artist Terumasa Ikeda. It’s also a twist on a trend we’ve been seeing play out in the watch industry over the last few years, but you probably wouldn’t think at first glance that this is actually a very intricately crafted mother of pearl dial. Ikeda’s work has a style that can be described as mixing very old craft techniques with a futuristic, almost sci-fi inspired design code. The Type 9 IKE’s dial looks...
Worn & Wound
A few weeks ago I decided to wear my Tudor Black Bay for the first time in several months. It’s a watch I love that I’ve written about many times on this website, but I’d been enjoying other more recently acquired pieces for some time and the Black Bay had been collecting proverbial dust in the watch box. So on a chilly winter afternoon I wound it up and set the time. But then, instead of closing the bracelet around my wrist and going about my business, I hauled out my little set of watchmaking tools to size the bracelet. Because the actual reason I hadn’t worn it in so long wasn’t entirely a result of being in the honeymoon phase with other watches, it was knowing I had a small chore in front of me if I didn’t want the watch to dangle pathetically from my wrist, and for a while it just seemed easier to ignore it. Over the last year, in an effort to become healthier and, you know, live longer, I’ve lost a significant amount of weight, and it’s had a dramatic effect on how my watches wear, and how I think about them. I’d been putting off an afternoon of resizing all of my watch bracelets in part because I was nervous that once I had my 41mm Black Bay on my now half inch smaller wrist, it would disappoint somehow. I gravitated toward smaller watches all summer and fall of last year as the shape of my body began to noticeably change, wearing my larger watches more sparingly and over shorter stretches of time. The author’s Black Bay on his 7.5 wrist, Oc...
Hodinkee
These next classes will be hosted by Tiny Jewel Box, Atlanta Watch Society, and Oak & Oscar.
Fratello
When you type in “retrograde” in the search box on the Fratello homepage, the results are watches in the upper echelons of high horology. The presence of a Longines is the exception that proves the rule. However, there is a brand that can be categorized as “affordable luxury watchmaking” and has quite a reputation for […] Visit Introducing: The Maurice Lacroix 1975 Master Grand Date Retrograde With The Brand’s 26th Masterpiece Caliber to read the full article.
Hodinkee
These next rounds of classes will be hosted by Atlanta Watch Society and Tiny Jewel Box.
Worn & Wound
Never has there been a more attention-grabbing timepiece in my watch box than the Lord Elgin Direct Read 7775, commonly nicknamed the Chevron by enthusiasts. Every collector has a watch (or two, or three, or four, or five, or…) they’ve always wanted to add to their collection but can’t, for reasons like price, availability, or both. The Chevron has been near the top of my list for many years. When it was released to the public in 1957, it cost customers $79.50, the equivalent of roughly $917.67 in 2025. While fortunately not fetching that price on the market currently, a rough condition example can still set a collector back hundreds of dollars. The disheartening state of my wallet has made acquiring one infeasible and, even more so, impractical. However, when I saw a Chevron in good condition pop up on eBay for a solid price a few months ago, a good friend of mine and I worked out a deal to acquire it and finally add one to my collection (thanks again, Mike!). Now, with an example of my own, I can rest assured knowing that my years of yearning were not in vain–this watch is truly a joy to own. History and Rundown on the Direct Reading Line When my love for the Chevron model first began, very little information regarding the watch’s history was available online. Outside of the occasional blog post or auction listing, there were no published articles or deep dives available (or at least easily locatable). Research conducted for this article was sparked when I ca...
Time+Tide
This week has been all about collaborations, both from the big box brands as well as the independents.The post New releases from Jaeger-LeCoultre, H. Moser & Cie, Massena LAB x Raúl Pagès and more appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
Singaporean independent brand Zelos is known for their colorful and texture-forward dials that strike a nice balance between affordability and unique design. Each new creation seems to drive their overall image forward in eclectic ways that keep the brand from fitting too rigidly into any one box. While Zelos is often associated with their sub $1,000 tool watches, they have made spectacular forays into the space of haute complications and uncommon materials in recent years. Their release of the Mirage in 2020, a watch that featured a tourbillon at a competitive $11,000 pricepoint, and their work using tantalum as a case material, is proof that the brand is committed to stretching the imagination regarding what a microbrand is capable of. Their newest release, the Comet 39, joins the ranks of the recent trend of stone dials we’ve seen permeating the hobby in the past few years. Since the trend is fairly new, my experience with stone dials is limited, and I was looking forward to getting hands-on with this piece. I was lucky to be able to pick up this review watch in-person at the Windup Watch Fair in New York City a few weeks ago while I was visiting. Complementary sizing by David Lane Design at Windup allowed me to wear the watch around the city during my trip and get a sense for how it moved with me during high-volume days. The Mother of Pearl (MOP) edition is one in a series of three Comet watches in the brand’s new Comet 39 line, all of which are crafted with vari...
Monochrome
What is Kollokium…? Well, a bit of a UFO, really. Is it a brand, a design studio, a concept that thinks out of the box, a project from a group of friends that turned out to be more successful than anticipated? A bit of everything, actually. What Kollokium is not claiming to be is a […]
Monochrome
Dressed in all black, the Type 3 BB2 is the perfect representation of what independent watchmaker Ressence is all about. Founded in 2010 by industrial designer Benoit Mintiens, watches by Ressence are pretty much incomparable to anything else on the market thanks to the brand’s out-of-the-box thinking, technical innovation and no hands or crowns. In […]
Monochrome
Independent and intentionally small, Brellum is the brand of fourth-generation watchmaker Sébastien Muller, and is built on three constants: COSC certification across the board, full movement decoration under a domed exhibition back, and direct-to-consumer production capped at 299 pieces a year. The catalogue splits into clear families. The Duobox, with its twin box sapphires and […]
Fratello
There’s a particular kind of madness that grips watch nerds before a big trip. Other people worry about airport transfers, currency exchange, or how many pairs of socks they need. I, however, have spent the last two weeks in what I can only describe as horological paralysis, staring at my watch box as if it […] Visit The Agonizing Joy Of Choosing A Holiday Watch to read the full article.
Fratello
Most watches we get in for review are round. They have three hands and maybe a date, but that’s about it. That’s why we were all very excited when we opened up a box with not one but two spaceship-like watches inside. Both the Maghnam Noor and Mohareb look like they could take off from […] Visit Hands-On With The Futuristic Maghnam Noor And Mohareb to read the full article.
Time+Tide
A few recent releases from both micro and big box brands alike have had Borna thinking the style is slowly merging with the mainstream.The post Are mesh bracelets having a moment, and do we have microbrands to thank for that? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
At the end of summer 2014, Dad gave me my first mechanical watch. There was nothing ceremonial about it; he simply handed me the box in the car. “I’m starting a new tradition, and it’s a grown-up gift since you’re heading to college,” he said. I looked down at the box. It said Seiko. I was familiar with the brand. In fact, it was what I had been wearing up to that point: reference SNE039, a mid-sized solar-powered watch that Grandpa gave me when he saw me showing interest in it. I still have it. But this Seiko was different. It was a reference SKX173, a sibling of the beloved SKX007 dive watch that has led many a good man down the rabbit hole. It had a waterproof case, rotating dive bezel that I had no clue how to operate, and most importantly, an automatically winding movement. “It’s easy – just shake it a bit to get it going,” said Dad. (OGs will remember the caliber 7s26’s lack of hand winding). I took the watch out of the box and shuffled it back and forth gently to coax it to life. It did, and as I stared at the sweeping seconds hand, I marveled that a microscopic team of gears, levers, and springs were all working harmoniously just to tell time. As an incoming engineering student, I couldn’t have asked for a better gift. I secured the black rubber strap on my wrist, and that was that. The remainder of the summer was spent reading everything I could get my hands on about Seiko watches and mechanical timekeeping at large. The excitement of movin...
Time+Tide
Vieren celebrates its 5th anniversary with its new “One-Of-One V Collection” with 5 piece uniques. The collection enlists five world-renowned artists to put their stamp on the first Vieren model: the OG Automatic Matte White. Each unique piece can be purchased individually, or all five can be bought at once as a box set (depending … ContinuedThe post Vieren enlists 5 artists to reimagine its first watch with their own piece unique appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
Every once in a while, a big box with Seiko watches arrives at the Fratello office. It contains the brand’s releases for the upcoming months and allows us to review and photograph them ahead of time. I still remember when I discovered the Seiko SPB317 in there, back in 2022. I immediately fell in love […] Visit From Homage to Heritage: Why I Traded My Seiko SPB317 for the 6105-8000 to read the full article.
Fratello
The Sun is shining, temperatures are rising, and my kids are finishing their classes. At last, our summer vacation is just around the corner. It’s time to go through the watch box and pick my watches for a road trip through France and Spain. I’ll probably end up with the Rolex Explorer 114270 as my […] Visit Fratello Summer Watch Picks 2025: Daan’s Choices From Longines, Girard-Perregaux, And Ressence to read the full article.
Fratello
It’s summer in the Northern Hemisphere, so it’s time to dust off your colorful watches. If you haven’t got any colorful options in your watch box yet, look at the new Marina Chronograaf collection by Batavi. As always, the Dutch brand offers surprising color combinations, and the modest pricing turns these models into perfect “bonus” […] Visit A Hands-On Introduction To The Colorful Batavi Marina Chronograaf Collection to read the full article.
Time+Tide
With some big hitters from the independent sector this week, alongside colourful big-box releases, this is an exciting week.The post New releases from Laurent Ferrier, Urban Jürgensen, J.N. Shapiro and more appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
For the sixth year in a row, Oris has launched a watch on the anniversary of their founding. The Hölstein Edition watches, which debut each year on June 1, are an opportunity for Oris to celebrate their heritage, release a watch that’s perhaps a little outside the box, and have some fun in the process. Previous Hölstein Editions include an Aquis diver with a bold purple dial, the revival of a classic complication, and, most recently, an unusual and very cool blacked out edition of their classic Divers Sixty-FIve. A throughline through these watches is the appearance of the Oris Bear, and for this year’s Hölstein Edition we get a particularly fun cameo from the brand’s mascot via a fully lumed dial. This year’s watch is a fresh take on the ProPilot, Oris’s contemporary, aviation inspired watch. For this limited edition (as with previous Hölstein Editions, this one is limited to 250 pieces) the stainless steel case has been given an aggressive black DLC treatment. It’s still, of course, unmistakably a ProPilot, with the hallmark fluted bezel and the gently curved 41mm case. This is much more than a blacked out ProPilot, though. Oris is having a lot of fun with the dial, giving it a full lume treatment that appears white in the daylight and glows green in the dark when the luminescent material is activated. The Arabic numerals, dial text, and hands are all in matte black, which makes the dial easy to read in both well lit situations and, importantly, in the ...
Worn & Wound
In this video, we take a minute with the new limited-edition celebration model of the Bulova Snorkel. Commemorating the Windup Watch Fair in San Francisco, this particular Snorkel features a Golden Gate color scheme and a custom artistic case back. It comes paired with an ADPT nylon strap, a Riverstone Case, and a commemorative box. Check it out at this year’s Windup Watch Fair in SF before they’re gone. If, on the off chance, any are left after the weekend, they will be available at the Windup Watch Shop while supplies last. In this video, we take a minute with the new limited-edition celebration model of the Bulova Snorkel. Commemorating the Windup Watch Fair in San Francisco, this particular Snorkel features a Golden Gate color scheme and a custom artistic case back. It comes paired with an ADPT nylon strap, a Riverstone Case, and a commemorative box. Check it out at this year’s Windup Watch Fair in SF before they’re gone. If, on the off chance, any are left after the weekend, they will be available at the Windup Watch Shop while supplies last. The post [VIDEO] An Exclusive New Bulova Snorkel for the Windup Watch Fair San Francisco appeared first on Worn & Wound.
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...
Time+Tide
We've seen what all the big box brands had to show, but what about the indies?The post 6 of the most exciting independent watches of Geneva Watch Week 2025 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Out of space in your watch box? Fret not.The post Celebrate the return of opulence with the Patek Philippe Complicated Desk Clock appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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