6,187 articles · 2,614 videos found · page 121 of 294
Monochrome
When it comes to finding a solid, accessible yet appealing watch meant to be a reliable companion for most of the moments in your life, from the office to the weekend fun, the choice is wide, to say the least. With its Commander collection, Swiss brand Mido has a strong alternative, with a modern, sleek […]
Monochrome
Founded in New York in 1921 by Romanian-born brothers Benjamin, Oscar, and Ralph Lazrus, Benrus relied on Swiss production, centred in La Chaux-de-Fonds, and during the 1930s and 1940s, it became known for its pilots and military watches. Early models such as the Flyer and Airman were popular among the airline pilots, helping establish the […]
Fratello
Morgan Stanley Investment Management published its Ninth Annual Swiss Watcher on February 19th. The report dives deep into the commercial performance of the Swiss watch market on a brand-by-brand level. I assume very few watch enthusiasts read the whole thing, but one table is rather famous: the top 50 Swiss watch brands ranked by turnover. […] Visit Subprime Reporting? Thoughts On The Recent Morgan Stanley/Swatch Group Controversy to read the full article.
Fratello
Time flies when everything resonates nicely, doesn’t it? It sure does for Armin Strom. No fewer than 10 years have passed since the independent Swiss house launched its breakthrough resonance mechanism. Although not actively marketed as an anniversary model, I reckon it is safe to say this rather exuberant version, the Armin Strom Mirrored Force […] Visit Introducing: The Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance Ruby to read the full article.
Monochrome
If you’ve ever travelled to Shanghai or Thailand, you might be familiar with the ease of acquiring a convincing fake Rolex for pennies on the dollar. Asian counterfeiters (particularly in Guangdong Province, China) often have access to the original machines used for cases, bracelets, and so on (not for Rolex specifically), as some Swiss brands […]
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Hodinkee
Swatch takes aim at the numbers and methods of the widely read Morgan Stanley 'Swiss Watcher' industry report.
Teddy Baldassarre
The Citizen Promaster Aqualand 200M Depth Meter is part of a long tradition of dive-watch innovation but is also a model distinct from the rest of its peers. Japan’s Citizen Watch Co. has been making watches for more than 100 years, and started making purpose-built watches or divers in the early 1980s. Since then, Citizen has been expanding the variety of styles, functionalities, and even movement types available in its dive watches, which have become a significant pillar of the brand’s rather large product portfolio. [toc-section heading="A Brief History of Citizen Dive Watches"] The Japanese watchmaker, today renowned for technical innovations like Super Titanium, satellite-controlled timekeeping, and its signature solar-driven Eco-Drive movement technology, was an early contributor to making wristwatches waterproof. It released the Parawater, regarded as the first “water-resistant” Japanese watch, in 1959 - several years before its main Japanese rival, Seiko, released its first dedicated diver’s watch, the . Parawater watches (as above) were waterproof to 50 meters of depth, an impressive feat for the era, and they were the forerunners of Citizen’s contemporary line of dive watches, which began in the 1960s but really kicked into gear with the release of the Promaster Marine in 1982. (Citizen dive watches, despite their diversity, all fall under the “Promaster” category today.) That same year, Citizen released its 1300m Professional Diver’s Watch, ...
SJX Watches
An eighties icon that is finding fresh footing, Raymond Weil has extended its GPHG-winning dress watch collection with the Millesime Small Seconds 39 mm “Tuxedo”. Available in three appealing colourways, the Millesime features Art Deco-inspired typography that brings a surprising degree of energy to the line-up’s familiar sector-style dial. Initial thoughts Raymond Weil was one of the biggest names in Swiss watchmaking in the 1980s and 1990s. Raymond Weil himself was one of the first entrepreneurs to see a future for mechanical watchmaking amidst the rubble of the quartz crisis, launching his eponymous brand in 1976. While peak production is in the past, the brand seems to have rebounded with a collection of well-received dress watches and savvy limited editions. The new Millesime Small Seconds embodies the carefully considered details that have underpinned the brand’s recent resurgence. It’s not revolutionary by any means, but at just US$2,295 it offers an affordable entry point to the world of Swiss dress watches. Affordability is one thing, but appeal is another. Fortunately the 39 mm Millesime hits many of the right notes in each of the three colourways, including a so-called ‘tuxedo’ configuration in either classic back and white or on-trend burgundy, as well as a dark blue option that might be the dark horse favourite. Art Deco trio All three models have a few key things in common, starting with the stainless steel case. The Millesime measures 39 mm in ...
SJX Watches
While silicon mechanical movement components have swept across Switzerland, adoption has been slow within the Japanese watch industry, stymied by Swiss patents and professed concerns over the material’s durability. To this day, it remains the unlikely domain of Orient Star, a small brand with priority access to Seiko Epson’s massive industrial base. This positions Orient Star to capitalise on consumer demand for increasingly long power reserves, without sacrificing performance. Thanks to an ultralight and geometrically efficient escape wheel with a patented design, Orient Star is able to deliver a 70-hour power reserve without resorting the same counter-productive trade-offs to balance energy made by some Swiss peers – here’s how it was done. A silicon wafer of escape wheels. Image – Seiko Epson The quest for longer power reserves Recent consumer demand for longer power reserves has sent the industry’s engineers scrambling for ways to increase the autonomy of existing movement platforms. A movement’s power reserve is dictated by the length of the mainspring, which unwinds at a constant rate. That is why using a chronograph doesn’t cause a watch to run down faster – usually. Of course, you need to find somewhere to fit that extra length of mainspring while maintaining the movement’s dimensions, such as by thinning out the barrel walls, narrowing the inner barrel arbour radius, or, reducing the thickness of the mainspring. However, while decreasing the ma...
Monochrome
Among the incredible variety of materials used to decorate dials, mother-of-pearl is an all-time favourite. Obtained from the inner lining of oyster and mollusc shells, mother-of-pearl is a captivating, naturally iridescent material that adds a unique shimmer to dials. Working with GT Cadrans, a specialist Swiss dial manufacturer, Czapek embellishes its Antarctique S and Promenade […]
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Teddy Baldassarre
Most people think that getting into "real" watches requires a heavy-duty investment or a deep knowledge of Swiss history. In reality, enjoying horology shouldn't require a trust fund or a PhD in movement calibers. But for a long time, the market felt split between cheap, disposable plastic watches and unattainable luxury pieces. There was simply no middle ground for a high-spec timepiece that you weren't afraid to use. It was exactly this dilemma that became the driving force behind California-based watchmaker, Vaer. The two ends of the watch-collecting scope left a huge gap for anyone who just wanted an affordable daily beater that could hold up during a weekend hike or a daily commute. So, Vaer pledged to fill that gap. [toc-section heading="The Gamble – Why Vaer Exists"] VAER founders Ryan Torres and Reagan Cook Watch collecting can be an expensive hobby. In the world of horology, $10,000 is the type of money that secures a stainless steel Rolex Sub and a lifetime of brand prestige. For most young professionals with a passion for watches, saving up that first ten grand is a rite of passage. But for Ryan Torres and Reagan Cook, founders of Vaer watches, that money represented a fork in the road. When the two entrepreneurs looked at their savings, they could have gone one of two ways: walk into a boutique and leave with a trophy on their wrist, or bet every cent on a dream to build the "perfect" everyday watch that didn't yet exist. They chose the latter. C5 Field Bla...
Monochrome
Chronoswiss was founded in 1983 by German watchmaker Gerd Rüdiger Lang and was sold in early 2012 to Swiss entrepreneurs Oliver and Eva Ebstein, who transferred operations to Lucerne, Switzerland. Known for reviving the regulator layout, Lang’s neoclassical design language, characterised by oversized onion crowns, knurled bezels, guilloché dials and Breguet-inspired features, was modernised by […]
Worn & Wound
The third annual British Watchmakers’ Day is almost here, and once again members of the Worn & Wound team will be on the ground in London for the event. On March 7, dozens of UK based brands will exhibit in London’s Lindley Hall to support the Alliance of British Watch & Clock Makers. This year, Editorial Director Zach Kazan and Worn & Wound co-founder Zach Weiss will be on hand to bring you all the latest from London. They’ll be talking with brands and enthusiasts at the event, as well as getting a look at the many limited editions launching at the show. If you’re in London for the event (or just in London!) we hope you can join us March 7, after the show, for a get together at a London pub to celebrate the weekend. We’re once again partnering with our friends at Arken to host a fun and casual evening for enthusiasts to come together to talk watches. Join the two Zachs and Arken founder Kenneth Lam for drinks, refreshments, and lots of good conversation. If you’re able to attend, please use this link to RSVP. Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP soon. Details on the event location will be provided to attendees prior to the get together. We’re excited to see you there! The post Join Worn & Wound and Arken in London to Celebrate British Watchmakers’ Day appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Monochrome
Tudor was founded in 1926 by Hans Wilsdorf, the man who also co-founded Rolex. As such, the brand celebrates its 100th anniversary this year (to be precise, the anniversary was three days ago, on February 17th). To mark this significant milestone, Tudor opened its doors to a select group of journalists, granting rare access not […]
Monochrome
Whenever movements are discussed, attention tends to focus on the Swiss, which is understandable, but it excludes some of the biggest movement manufacturers. Seiko, Miyota and so on, let alone the Chinese, produce far more movements per year on their own than ETA or Sellita do, for instance. To put this into some form of […]
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Worn & Wound
The one handed watch is a curious thing. On the face of it, it seems illogical. On a mechanical watch, stripping away a more precise minute hand in favor of a single hour hand negates one of the things enthusiasts covet most: precision. Or, at least, the relative precision. Things like COSC certification and the hard work and ingenuity that go into making mechanical movements become secondary when you pull back sufficiently far from an ability to clock the time to the exact second (indeed, the COSC will not certify any watch without a seconds hand). But removing that hand is additive, as well. It forces the designer of a watch to think very critically about how that hand is going to tell the time, and the thing that actually defines one handed watches is not so much the fact that they only have a single hand, but the way in which that hand interacts with any timing markers on the dial. There are different approaches, of course. Avant-garde designs might strip out markers altogether, so that a dial’s texture or material can be the singular focus of a piece. This, to me, feels like the most jewelry oriented option possible. Another approach, and the one most often favored by Meistersinger, a brand known primarily for their one handed watches, is to focus like a laser on readability at a glance, designing markers and indices that are large enough and graduated to a degree that makes it relatively easy to get the precise time at a glance. I often think about the time I spe...
Fratello
Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) is the largest Swiss independent testing facility for watch movements. Founded in 1973, this non-profit foundation aims to guarantee the precision of Swiss watches through a neutral, independent, and rigorous method. Watches with movements that passed the tests can be called “COSC-certified chronometers,” accurate to within -4/+6 seconds per […] Visit A Closer Look At COSC’s New Excellence Chronometer Certification to read the full article.
Monochrome
As we have seen recently, when we analysed the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry’s report and its export data, the watch industry isn’t at its best; exports are down, sales are declining for large conglomerates, and there are challenging times ahead for 2026. Outlooks remain cautious, as the industry is likely to continue facing […]
SJX Watches
Abdulmagied Ahmed Seddiqi, co-owner of Seddiqi Holding, has passed away according to a statement issued by the family. His legacy of leadership is carried on by his brother, Abdul Hamied Seddiqi, Chairman of Seddiqi Holding, and by his son, Mohammed Abdulmagied Seddiqi, who is Chief Executive Officer of Ahmed Seddiqi, the leading luxury watch retailer in the United Arab Emirates. Abdulmagied Seddiqi (right) with his brother Hamied Seddiqi. Image – Ahmed Seddiqi Empire builders Now the most important retailer of luxury watches in the Middle East, the Seddiqi family business was founded in 1950 as Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons. The original location was in Dubai’s historic Bur Dubai souk, a market that opened in the late nineteenth century. Ahmed Seddiqi operates the world’s largest Rolex boutique at the Dubai Mall. Image – Ahmed Seddiqi In 1960, Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons became the first retailer of Patek Philippe in the UAE, expanding its portfolio beyond Rolex, which it had carried since 1952. The move to establish a luxury watch retail empire in Dubai the 1950s was prescient. This early foothold positioned Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons for the region’s extraordinary growth, but it was the leadership of Abdulmagied Seddiqi and his brother, Abdul Hamied Seddiqi, that led to the commanding position the firm now occupies. Abdulmagied Seddiqi prepared to inherit the mantle of the family business by attending university in Switzerland and mastering French, cultivating experience and connec...
SJX Watches
Interesting news just out of Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC), the venerable Swiss chronometer testing body, which has just announced a major revamp to its testing to honour the COSC’s standard’s 50th anniversary. Excellence Chronometer, COSC’s new and improved certification program, goes beyond the ISO 3159 norm that has defined its tests for decades. Instead of just testing movements, Excellence Chronometer will require completed, cased watches to run within -2/+4 seconds a day, as well as pass wear simulation and magnetism tests. Initial thoughts While COSC remains the primary chronometer testing body in Switzerland, thanks largely to Rolex, its protocols have been due for an update for some time now. With the rise of alternative and in-house precision testing programs, the standard chronometer certification can sometimes feel left behind. Rolex’s own Superlative Chronometer certification first requires a COSC certificate, but then makes sure the watches run at -2/+2 seconds per day after further in-house testing. The METAS Chronometer program also requires the standard COSC certificate, but guarantees a regulation of 0/+5 seconds per day and a great resistance to magnetic fields. Seeing that COSC slowly updates and imposes more stringent criteria is a good sign, but it may still not be good enough. With the rise of advanced internal certification programs, it looks like some brands submit their models to COSC testing just to make sure they can...
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Worn & Wound
The Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC, the body responsible for certifying watch movements as Swiss chronometers) has just announced a new chronometry standard that will be rolled out over the course of 2026. The news comes at a time when the COSC has some competition for timekeeping certifications, most notably the METAS certification (which first requires a watch movement to be COSC certified) used by Omega and Tudor, as well as other certifications provided by the brands themselves. The new COSC certification is being framed as an additional level of certification that will accompany the familiar “Certified Chronometer” tag that is seen on the dials and paperwork of millions (literally) of watches that have been put through the COSC paces over the years. The new “Excellence Chronomenter” certification provides an additional layer of guarantee of reliability that goes beyond simple accuracy. As a refresher, COSC certification certifies the movement is working at an optimal level, not a fully cased watch. To achieve a Certified Chronometer certification, a movement must show average accuracy of -4 to +6 seconds per day over a 15 day period, tested across 5 positions and 3 temperatures. The Excellence Chronometer certification tightens the accuracy threshold from a spread of 10 seconds in total to 6 (-2 to +4 seconds per day). It also adds metrics for magnetic resistance and power reserve verification in fully cased watches. According to the COS...
Fratello
Rado has a long-standing collaborative relationship with Les Couleurs Suisse. Until now, this has led to 12 releases that used Le Corbusier’s 63-shade color system, which he described in his book Polychromie Architecturale. For its latest collaborative effort, Rado took it a step beyond just using the Swiss-French architect’s color system. While these watches each […] Visit Introducing: The Rado True Round × Les Couleurs Le Corbusier Special Editions to read the full article.
Monochrome
Goliardo Della Balda’s dream of producing high-quality Swiss timepieces at affordable prices materialised with the founding of Delbana watches in 1931. Like many Swiss brands, the quartz crisis took its toll in the 1970s, but the brand was rescued in the mid-1990s and, in 2002, merged with Delma Watch Ltd. to focus on accessible, mid-century-inspired […]
Monochrome
Hitting the road to Fleurier, the discovery of L’Atelier Bernard was not what I expected. Bernard is a rather dated first name – one you rarely hear anymore for young people in Europe’s French-speaking countries. So, when I pushed open the door of their workshop in Fleurier, I was expecting to meet two old Swiss […]
Fratello
Studio Underd0g is one of the most refreshing success stories in modern watchmaking. What began as a plucky one‑man operation creating distinctive, cuisine‑themed watches has grown into a full‑blown enterprise producing more than 14,000 watches per year - and still growing. Even with Chinese‑sourced Seagull ST‑1901 calibers powering the popular 01Series and Swiss movements used […] Visit Studio Underd0g Establishes The D0ghouse, Its New British Watchmaking Facility to read the full article.
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