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Hublot s Latest SAXEM Release Jan 22, 2025

Hublot’s Latest SAXEM Release is a Green Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic

While I haven’t been doing “this” as long as some who have been in the watch media trenches since a time when you could reliably get a discount on a brand new Rolex at an authorized dealer, I’ve been doing it long enough to get a sense of the rhythms of a new release season. We are, as of yesterday, in the thick of it. LVMH Watch Week is the unofficial (but also kind of official) kick off of a new year in novelties from big luxury group brands, and within the confines of the LVMH experience there’s one tradition that stands out to me that’s become something I look forward to and get genuinely excited about: seeing what kind of crazy sapphire or SAXEM cased watch Hublot has come up with. Pretty reliably, on a year to year basis, Hublot shows us a wild and colorful and extremely expensive watch in an exotic, glass-adjacent material. This year, like clockwork, they’re back with the Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Green SAXEM, a watch whose name is nearly doing my job for me. I’ve made no secret over the years of how much I enjoy these oversized, translucent watches. If I had to pick a favorite, it would probably be the purple sapphire Big Bang Tourbillon from 2022, but I’ll thank you in advance for not actually making me choose, because frankly these watches all do their thing equally well, and choosing the one you like best is like picking your favorite Coen Brothers movie. Some days it’s Fargo and on others it’s No Country for Old Men but maybe on Sunday...

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Worn & Wound

Dec 26, 2024

Craft is Everywhere: How Statera Brought Old World Watchmaking to Brazil

When I first met Rafael Guimarães a few months ago, Statera hadn’t crossed my radar in a big way. The small brand, which has a fair claim to being the first watch brand born and built in Brazil, had already sold through a few production runs of nice-looking watches, but the brand had yet to make a real splash or to break out from the typical microbrand mold. Their first few releases certainly showed evidence of an eye for quality and detail, but for Rafael and his longtime friend and co-founder Antonio Almir dos Santos Neto (the two have known each other since they were five), it wasn’t enough. “For the first watch, the ST01, we made the design, and then the watch was fabricated in France… it was more like a [proof of concept] to see if we are able to sell watches,” Rafael explained. The obvious next step was to turn inward, to move away from external manufacturing and create what would be (and now is) the first independent watch not only conceived in Brazil, but made there as well. The result is the ST02 Esmalte Grand Feu, a handsome take on the everyday watch born out of a unique perspective paired with a generation’s worth of accumulated knowledge. How We Learn The path to the ST02 was neither short nor simple. Reaching the next level when you live and work in a part of the world with no history of watchmaking isn’t easy, and it’s not made any easier by Brazil’s restrictive tax structure. “We are fascinated by métier d’art. and we are fascinated ...

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Worn & Wound

Dec 26, 2024

Haim Jumps into the Stone Dial Trend with a Striking New Limited Edition

I had the opportunity to meet Zakir Miah, the founder of Chicago-based Haim Watch Co., at a timepiece-related event in Canada this past September. Before that, I had only admired his watches online, and I was especially drawn to the L2 Chronograph, which features a pink gold dial with blued hands and numerals. Zakir was gracious and patient enough to walk me through his entire lineup despite the line of people waiting to chat with him. It took nearly all my willpower to walk away without purchasing one. One of their most popular collections is the Legacy Automatic, a custom-built timepiece designed to order. This model marks several milestones for the brand, including its first custom-designed HWC-1 automatic movement based on ETA architecture assembled in the United States. Each watch is crafted specifically for the buyer. The Legacy Automatic has a hand-finished titanium TA2 (commercially pure grade 2) case with a coin-edge bezel and exhibition case back. Today, Haim is launching a new limited edition Legacy to celebrate their second collaboration with WatchesArabized x OPTO WATCH CO. This edition, named the Arabized (Al-Nimer), which translates to “The Tiger,” will feature a dial made of Tiger’s Eye stone. Tiger’s Eye is a chatoyant gemstone, typically classified as a metamorphic rock, recognized for its golden to red-brown color and silky luster. As part of the quartz group, its distinctive appearance is created through the intergrowth of quartz crystals and al...

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Worn & Wound

Casio nal cameo here Dec 18, 2024

My Year in Watches: A Big Change, the Big Apple, and a Big Seamaster

In today’s installment of My Year in Watches, Media Manager Devin Pennypacker writes about making a big move, acquiring a long sought after dive watch, and the creative energy of New York City.  I know it’s a cliche, but to say my year in watches has been eventful would be a great understatement. I had the opportunity to work on some of the most personally fulfilling content I have ever created, made the jump from one large watch media company over to another, uprooted my entire life to pursue new opportunities, and refined my watch collection in the pursuit of finally checking off pieces from the wishlist. Along the way, I met so many amazing people, making new connections all based on our shared weird obsessions. It has been quite the year. Earlier this year, I was working behind the scenes making the occasional cameo here and there for Teddy Baldassarre. With an amazingly talented team around me, we created content at a pace that most people could not fathom, launched a retail store that had been in the works behind the scenes for quite some time, and made waves in the industry that have yet to settle. While I was and remain incredibly proud of the content I helped create and am very appreciative of the knowledge, skills, and connections gained through that experience, when the opportunity arose for me to take on a new challenge while putting my name out there a bit more, I took it. Since joining the Worn & Wound team, I have had the opportunity to meet many of you...

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Worn & Wound

Zenith Nov 25, 2024

Hands-On: the Dennison ALD Collection

Watch history is often the story of unsung heroes. Zenith is commonly credited as the creator of the first automatic chronograph, while their collaborator Movado is often a footnote, if mentioned at all. The Omega Speedmaster, famously the first watch worn on the moon, gets most of the street cred when discussing out-of-this-world watches. However, any mention of the actual first watch worn in space, the Sturmanskie, is a deep cut rarely discussed. Mid-century watch cases tend to follow the same trend. While brands like Rolex, IWC and Zenith were busy becoming household names, the third party manufacturers making the cases of their renowned classics worked diligently in the shadows. One such case designer and manufacturer was Dennison, a brand you may never have heard of, but undoubtedly handled if you are a fan of vintage luxury Swiss watches. Founded in 1874 by Aaron Lufkin Dennison (who the ALD collection is named after), Dennison became a powerhouse of both design forward and spec focused watch cases. Their patented air and water tight cases could be found on the wrists of members of the British Military, housed the famous Smith dials that submitted Everest in 1953 and even accompanied Lt. Commander Lithgow when he broke the world air speed record. Dennison went dormant after the 1960’s and, like many other once-defunct brands that followed suit with the emergence of the quartz crisis, has risen from the ashes. Resurrection stories can be hit and miss, leading many e...

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Worn & Wound

Christopher Ward Adds Nov 18, 2024

Christopher Ward Adds a 37mm C1 Moonphase

It’s getting close to the end of the year, and many of us are naturally in a reflective mood. I’d like to think I speak for most watch writers when I say that for us, it’s all about looking back at the almost incalculable number of watches we saw over the course of the year, and the reviews they spawned. Considering all the watches I got to look at this year, there are a handful that really stand out, and the Christopher Ward C1 Moonphase is easily one of them. We talk about Christopher Ward a lot around here because they continue to surprise us, expanding the very definition of what a “Christopher Ward” can be, and the C1 Moonphase is one of my favorite examples of that. It’s truly an art piece – made of slabs of aventurine with no markers to speak of and accented with giant, glowing moons in constant rotation. In a quiet way, it’s every bit as adventurous as the Bel Canto or Twelve X. If there was one issue with it, though, it was the size. At just over 40mm, it was perhaps a little big for some who expect a watch like this to be more discreet.  If that describes you, you’re in luck, as Christopher Ward has just announced a new version of the C1 Moonphase in a more versatile 37mm size. If you envision a watch like this as an accent to a suit (maybe even a tuxedo) or you simply have smaller wrists or prefer a more traditional dress watch size, this new version should have a ton of appeal.  Personally, I stand by my original review, where I wrote that a...

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Worn & Wound

Christopher Ward Armin Strom Garrick Tudor Nov 13, 2024

Opinion: Patek Philippe, the Cubitus, and Elitism in Modern Watchmaking

Last month, Patek Philippe launched their first new watch collection in decades: the Cubitus. It was met with, as you’ve surely seen by now, a chorus of widespread skepticism and bewilderment. Ostensibly a replacement for the now discontinued stainless steel Nautilus, the Cubitus borrows the bracelet and dial treatment from that watch, and makes the case square. The consensus seems to be that they turned one of the most elegant luxury sports watches ever made into something ungainly, and they didn’t even take the time to do it in a thoughtful way. Words like “lazy” and “ugly” fill out the diatribes from commenters who disapprove.  For me and the rest of the team at Worn & Wound, new releases from Patek Philippe are something of a spectator sport. I can’t speak for all of my colleagues, but feelings about the brand range from lukewarm appreciation for watches that are objectively well made and designed, to a more straight up boredom (that’s me), to some version of the “I don’t think of you at all” Mad Men meme (also me). It’s fair to say, though, that none of us are die hard Patek fans in the same way, for instance, that we follow new releases from brands like, I dunno, Grand Seiko, Christopher Ward, Armin Strom, Garrick, Tudor, and the like. The watches we get excited about span a huge range of accessibility both in terms of price and actual availability. But a good watch is a good watch.  This is all to say, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise t...

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SJX Watches

Oct 29, 2024

In-Depth: Alfred Helwig’s Flying Tourbillon in Wrist- and Pocket Watches

The flying tourbillon marks the beginning of my career as a watch dealer and collector. In the mid-1970s, I met a former fellow pupil of mine, Richard Miklosch, in a little antique shop in my hometown of Aachen. At the time, I was unaware that Miklosch (1939-2014), originally a technical schoolteacher, had become a highly sought-after watchmaker specialising in pocket watch tourbillons (Fig. 1) – to his great credit being entirely self-taught in the field [1, p. 198][1, pp. 374-377][2, p. 140][3, p. 40]. That is how Theodor Beyer, who ran Chronometrie Beyer and Beyer Uhrenmuseum in Zürich, came to have a Miklosch tourbillon, as well as a George Daniels tourbillon, in his collection. I told him about my growing fascination for watches and my plans to start organising auctions specialised in this field. Miklosch looked at me sympathetically, and, pulling a watch out of his pocket he said: “This is one of the best precision timepieces ever made”. Although I had only rudimentary knowledge of the subject at the time, I was immediately struck by the visual aesthetics of the movement. It was one of the flying tourbillons from the famous Glashütte School; to be precise the 1930-1931 tourbillon made by Max Hahn marked “School no. 3673” and “Special no. 21”. That was my eureka moment and one that ultimately marked the beginning of my watch career. Some of these iconic watches were to pass through my hands in the following 50 years, or even to find a place in my colle...

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F Fratello

Fratello

Grand Seiko SBGY040 Oct 5, 2024

Introducing: The Grand Seiko SBGY040 And SBGW321 - A Pair Of Limited Editions For Europe

Meet the new Grand Seiko SBGY040 and SBGW321, a pair of limited-edition watches made specifically for the European market. Similar to most exclusive releases from the brand, these also gain inspiration from Japanese nature. Gardens, specifically ponds and the colorful koi that inhabit them, help define the dial artistry. Grand Seiko has mastered infusing the […] Visit Introducing: The Grand Seiko SBGY040 And SBGW321 - A Pair Of Limited Editions For Europe to read the full article.

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Teddy Baldassarre

Sep 24, 2024

Lorca Model 2 Chronograph Review

Sophomore releases are always tricky business. Just ask Depeche Mode, or Kiss. An innovative or evocative debut sound before the artist has really had a chance to flesh out their own voice can lead to unrealistic expectations from fans. Small, independent watch brands face a similar challenge, often expressing an exciting vision for a single watch without a firm framework to expand upon. This isn’t always the case, however, and just like Pearl Jam or The Strokes, there are some emerging watch brands with freshman success that manage an equally compelling follow-up vision. This is exactly what New York-based Lorca, founded by Swiss-Canadian Jesse Marchant, is looking to do with its new Model 2 Chronograph, hot on the heels of their popular initial release, the Model 1 GMT. The visionary behind the brand, Jesse Marchant, is also a recording artist, and is no stranger to the process. The Model 1 GMT was a revelation when it was first revealed in early 2023. The design was subtle, and the execution well considered. All the little details worked, and it was a watch that managed to find its own style and identity in a sea of watches that had neither. The Model 1 didn’t break any new ground mechanically, but it did present a unique vision that touched on multiple genre points in a cohesive manner. It also featured a somewhat polarizing bezel that would ultimately add to the depth of its character. Beyond that, the bracelet, case, and overall fit and finish of the watch unders...

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SJX Watches

Jun 22, 2024

Bugatti Taps Watch Movement Maker for Tourbillon Hybrid Supercar

The Molsheim-based marque just unveiled the successor to its Chiron supercar – and one with a surprising horological connection – the Bugatti Tourbillon. With Croatian auto entrepreneur at Mate Rimac at the helm, Bugatti created a completely new hypercar that features an all-new platform with a naturally-aspirated V16 engine paired with a plug-in hybrid powertrain that together produce a staggering 1,800 hp – matched by a €3.8 million price tag. The Tourbillon surprised car enthusiasts as it is very much an old-school internal-combustion-engine hypercar, and not merely a rebadged, high-performance electric vehicle of that sort that made Mr Rimac famous. Watch enthusiasts, on the other hand, might be surprised at the horological aspect of the car, which goes beyond the “tourbillon” moniker and harks back to vintage automobiles that sported dashboard instruments by the likes of Jaeger and Kienzle. The Tourbillon that will be limited to 250 units. Image – Bugatti Despite the technology contained within the car, Bugatti opted for something almost anachronistic in the cockpit. The brand pays tribute to traditional horological engineering with an analogue, mechanical instrument cluster sitting front and centre on the steering column. The instrument panel is mounted on a fixed-hub steering wheel so it remains in place even as the rim of the steering wheel rotates around it. The Tourbillon will be delivered starting 2026. Image – Bugatti Having partnered with Parmi...

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W Worn & Wound

Worn & Wound

Oris Introduces What Might Be Jun 20, 2024

Oris Introduces What Might Be the Ideal Enthusiast Focused Divers Sixty-Five

The Divers Sixty-Five has been a staple in the Oris collection since 2015. In the near decade since its inception, we have seen many iterations. Many of these have been community-driven, and there have also been collaborative projects with multiple prominent media outlets and retailers. It would be an understatement to say that Oris has its finger on the pulse of the watch world, and their latest offering proves just that. New for 2024, they are introducing the Divers Sixty-Five 400 in 38mm. The great thing about being an independent watch manufacturer is the freedom to do what they believe is right. For some time, they have been asked to make a Divers Sixty-Five with the Calibre 400 movement, without a date display, in the enthusiast favorite 38mm size, and that’s exactly what this is. It is made of stainless steel and comes with a matching monochromatic unidirectional bezel with a minute scale in relief. Not only does the Calibre 400 offer 120 hours of power reserve, but it also comes with a class-leading 10-year warranty and 10-year service intervals. The watch is only available with the rivet-style stainless steel bracelet and features a vibrant green dial. It has a diameter of 38mm, a thickness of 12.6mm, and a lug width of 19mm. The watch is in-house regulated to be accurate to within -3/+5 seconds per day, which exceeds COSC tolerances. The movement is visible through the screw-down exhibition case back, and it is water-resistant up to 100m. This new model fulfill...

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T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Longines May 21, 2024

Longines Conquest 38 Review

Last year, Longines relaunched the Conquest, a mainstay of its collection since the mid-1950s, in a new execution heavily influenced by its earliest vintage forebears and staking out a dressier territory than its sporty dive-watch sibling, the Hydroconquest. Longines set out to expand the new Conquest’s appeal this year with a new series of models in unisex 38mm cases. Read on for a hands-on review of the new Conquest 38 with an effervescent champagne dial. Longines, founded in 1832 in the Jura valley of Switzerland, where it remains headquartered today, can claim a variety of milestones in its long history, including one that is largely overlooked. In the 1950s, Longines became one of the first watchmakers to introduce product “families,” today a staple of the watch industry; the first was the Conquest collection, whose name was registered on April 3, 1954 with the Swiss Registry of Intellectual Property and which launched that same year. Like just about any timepiece well past the half-century mark on the market, the Conquest has evolved substantially over the decades since. The first Conquest (Heritage re-edition pictured above) was a model of midcentury masculine simplicity, and one of the first wristwatches notable for its high levels of waterproofness and magnetic resistance. Its steel case measured a modest (but at the time standard) 35.2mm and fastened via wide, chamfered lugs to a leather strap. Its champagne-colored dial had arrowhead-style notched indexes ...

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SJX Watches

Louis Vuitton Tambour Einstein Automata “Only May 2, 2024

Hands On: Louis Vuitton Tambour Einstein Automata “Only Watch 2024”

The surprising, and to some shocking, Louis Vuitton Tambour Einstein Automata created for Only Watch 2024 is over the top in both aesthetics and complexity. Based on the brand’s automata wristwatch that’s available either as a Chinese mask or vanitas skull, the Einstein Automata has the air of a mad scientist’s creation. Depressing the pusher at two o’clock starts the automata, which also serve to tell the time with a jumping hours display in Einstein’s forehead and the minutes indicated by the atom symbol pointer at eight o’clock. Made in-house at its Geneva manufacture of La Fabrique du Temps (LFT), the watch illustrates Louis Vuitton’s impressive matchmaking capabilities, while also bringing to mind the extravagant, casual style of its streetwear. Initial thoughts When I first saw images of the Einstein Automata, I knew I had to see it in person. And in the metal the watch certainly lives up to expectations, it is bizarre, impressive, and wearable, all at the same time. It is bizarre because Einstein is accurately portrayed – the likeness is done well – yet rendered in alien colours of pale blue and silver. It’s impressive because the dial is enamelled and engraved in-house while the movement is exceptionally complex. And it’s wearable despite being a very large watch because the case is in stainless steel, unlike its regular production counterparts that are in gold. Do I like it? I do. But I can imagine a lot of people won’t and I can understand...

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SJX Watches

Cartier Pendule Magnétique’ Water Clock Apr 29, 2024

Fabled “Lost” Cartier ‘Pendule Magnétique’ Water Clock Rediscovered

Although Cartier watches are now enjoying a streak of popularity, thanks in part to social media, the jeweller’s greatest timekeepers are arguably not wristwatches but clocks, namely the lavish and inventive clocks made in the first half of the 20th century that rank amongst the most impressive clocks ever made. Not only were most carefully designed and ornately decorated, many feature unique, “mysterious” time display mechanisms. A quartet of such clocks long hidden in a discreet collection, has just emerged at Phillips and will soon go under the hammer. All four are Chinese-themed Art Deco creations typical of Cartier’s work of the period, and include an example of the famous mystery clock, specially a single-axle version inlaid with turquoise. But the highlight is a long-lost pendule de table magnétique, or magnet clock, sometimes also known as a turtle- or water clock. The most elaborate water clock ever made by Cartier, this example is a large jade bowl containing a carp floating on water that serves as the hour hand. Made in 1929 by Cartier Paris and sold by its New York branch, this water clock was lost for decades and known only from drawings in Cartier’s archives. It finally reemerged at Christie’s in 1990, where it was sold to the current owner. The clock then remained inaccessible in the owner’s collection, although it was mentioned in several Cartier books, including the well-known tomes by Francois Chaille and Franco Cologni, and Hans Nadelhoffe...

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T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Apr 5, 2024

Watches for Engineers and Scientists: A Brief History in Six Iconic Ti

Looking at the watch market as it exists today, one will notice that the most popular styles, even on the luxury end, have their roots in “tool watches” aimed at a particular audience of users: professional and recreational divers, pilots and aviation hobbyists, competitive racing drivers and motorsport enthusiasts, military operators and outdoorsy weekend warriors. Nearly all of these styles trace their origins back to the early to mid-20th Century - an era in which, around the same time, many watchmakers were developing another style of tool watch, one that we really don’t see as much anymore because so many of its elements have been absorbed into the mainstream, incorporated into sport watches and dress watches alike: a watch targeting engineers and scientists who plied their trade around magnetic fields. Here are six of the most important watches from this now-rare genre and a bit of historical information about what each of them contributed.  1930: Tissot Antimagnetique The need for a watch that could withstand the ill effects of magnetic fields was felt as early as the 1920s, when the use of electricity in homes as well as businesses became more widespread. One of the first watchmakers to respond was Tissot, founded in 1850 in the Swiss town of Le Locle. In 1930, Tissot released to the market the aptly named Antimagnetique, the first wristwatch with a magnetism-resistant movement. Tissot accomplished this feat by using the non-magnetic metal palladium for v...

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SJX Watches

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph Mar 20, 2024

Breaking News: Michael Schumacher’s AP Royal Oak, F.P. Journe Vagabondage at Christie’s

The spring sale season that kicks off in Geneva come mid May will no doubt include many top lots across the three major auction houses, but Christie’s will claim two of the most compelling watches to go on the block: an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph and F.P. Journe Vagabondage, both unique pieces made for Michael Schumacher. Gifts from longtime Scuderia Ferrari manager Jean Todt, each watch features a custom dial commemorating Mr Schumacher’s unprecedented streak of Formula 1 world championships, as well as commemorative engraving on the back. The pair come straight from the Schumacher collection, consigned by his family along with a handful of other watches. Mr Schumacher’s watches will be offered at Christie’s Rare Watches auction taking place on May 13, 2024 in Geneva. Initial thoughts I follow F1 casually and I usually don’t like watches with emblems on the dial – the Vagabondage has 11 logos on the hour scale – but these two watches are exceptionally desirable in my eyes, particularly the Vagabondage, which is incredible for its rarity and provenance. The watches capture Mr Schumacher’s remarkable racing career – his seven world championships tie him with Lewis Hamilton as the all-time record holders – evoking the glamour and prestige of Formula 1 but also the longstanding association between watchmakers and auto racing that arguably started with sports chronographs like the Daytona and Carrera in the 1960s. At the same time, the watches il...

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W Worn & Wound

Worn & Wound

Mar 19, 2024

Evergoods Launches the CPL16, a Smaller Version of their Popular Backpack

Evergoods, the brainchild of Jack Barley and Kevin Dee, has released a new backpack, proving once again that big things come in small packages. Founded in 2016, Evergoods set out with one mission: “Create long-lasting, high-quality crossover equipment. Combining their experience from working at some of the biggest names in the outdoor industry (Goruck and Patagonia), Barley and Dee built Evergoods from the ground up, literally. After designing custom furniture for their facility in Bozeman, MT, the team rapidly moved to create their two flagship products, the Civic Panel Loader 24 (CPL) and the Mountain Panel Loader 30 (MPL). From these two products, they would expand their staff and product lines, becoming a leader in the soft-goods industry.  Their newest release, the CPL16, builds upon the iconic legacy of its big sibling, the CPL24. Made from a solution-dyed custom-made 840d ballistic nylon, YKK reverse coil zippers, a highly breathable back panel, and a water-repellent coating, this pack was made to conquer your day with ease. The sleek exterior of the pack features a standard top handle, as well as a side handle allowing you to carry it like a briefcase. Moving inside, you’ll find a largely open main compartment with an internal stretch pocket perfect for carrying folders or books, and a fully padded laptop compartment capable of fitting up to a 16” MacBook Pro. Evergoods describes this pack the best, saying “It’s the do-it-all workhorse of an EDC bag you ...

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Worn & Wound

Sinn Unveils their Spring Novelties Feb 14, 2024

Sinn Unveils their Spring Novelties, Including a Manually Wound 103 Chronograph and New HYDRO U50 Divers

Sinn dropped their Spring novelties this morning, an event that’s always of keen interest to hardcore watch enthusiasts. Sinn is one of our favorite brands for a whole number of reasons, but I’ve always felt that part of their appeal is in their somewhat elusive, “if you know, you know,” nature. Part of that is the fact that they have a single American distributor, and don’t have the flashiest social media presence. In the US, they still seem very German and are truly a brand for connoisseurs. If you see someone wearing a Sinn, you know that they sought it out, and that it might not have been easy to find.  Sinn’s pattern for novelty releases over the last few years seems to be to release a mix of modern tool watches and vintage throwbacks simultaneously. This year’s vintage throwback is a manually wound chronograph, the 103 St Ty Hd. The 103 is their core chronograph model, the simplest and arguably least fussy, and has been made in a huge number of variants over the years. This new version has a steel case and old-fashioned acrylic crystal, and a panda-style dial layout with red accents.  Fans of the 103 will notice immediately that the 12, 6, 9 (with day/date at 3) layout from previous 103 references is missing, a result of the manually wound Sellita SW 510 M powering the new watch. Here we get a classic three register, no date dial in the same familiar 41mm case. This is Sinn’s first manually wound 103 in 20 years, which should make the release of the...

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SJX Watches

Omega movements I was inspired.” Feb 14, 2024

A Master Gunsmith Makes a Watch by Hand

Based in Pennsylvania, Dewey Vicknair is a respected gunsmith who specialises in restoring rifles and shotguns, and has been doing so for decades, gaining an esteemed reputation in the process. Now in his mid-fifties, he is also a self-taught watchmaker who has been performing watch servicing on the side. Recently Mr Vicknair made the leap from fixing watches to making one. Mr Vicknair explained the genesis of his first watch: “When I saw your stories about Atelier de Chronometrie and what they do with vintage Omega movements, I was inspired.” His inaugural creation is a hand-wound wristwatch of his own making, literally. Although the movement started out as a 1950s Omega cal. 266, Mr Vicknair reworked majority of it and made many parts from scratch, including the going train bridge, as he did for the case, dial, and even the gasket for the crown tube. Because he made most of the parts himself, Mr Vicknair had to fabricate the equipment required to make the parts, including a cutter for the gasket and a screw holder for black polishing. He even did the silver plating of the movement parts himself. It is an unexpected accomplishment for a first-time watchmaker. Initial thoughts Ordinarily I would be sceptical of an unknown watchmaker seeking publicity for a new project with a five-figure price tag. But a few things changed my mind. One was seeing Mr Vicknair’s unusually thorough documentation of his production process, which is almost entirely manual – even the mach...

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Worn & Wound

Zenith s First New Release Jan 17, 2024

Zenith’s First New Release of the Year is a Pair of Blue Dialed Boutique Editions from their Pilot Collection

After a period of relative quiet in the watch industry over the holidays, as we head into mid-January it’s clear that we are not being fully launched into New Release Season, with news coming across our desks about watch releases from some of our favorite brands. Some we can share now, and some will have to wait, but it’s clear whatever respite we had between Thanksgiving and New Years is, well, completely over. First out of the gate among the big Swiss luxury brands is Zenith, with news about an addition to their Pilot collection, which was their big launch in 2023.  The Pilot collection took us by surprise last year. After several years of focusing on the Defy and Chronomaster lines, it felt like a left turn of sorts. But Zenith is rightfully incredibly proud of the Pilot and the heritage it represents. Zenith trademarked “Pilot” in 1904, and is famously the only watchmaker who can use the word solo on a watch dial. The watches we saw last year represented a new twist on a format we know well. They aren’t regurgitations of a historic reference, but feel like a modern realization of an aviation themed watch with contemporary proportions and materials.  The new boutique editions seen here take the Pilot Automatic and Pilot Big Date Flyback and add blue dials, offering an alternative to the jet black seen on last year’s collection. According to Zenith, the shade of blue seen on these dials is meant to evoke the night sky as seen by a pilot, but blue is a commo...

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SJX Watches

Girard-Perregaux Neo Bridges Nov 27, 2023

The Girard-Perregaux Neo Bridges in Aston Martin Racing Green

Born from the official partnership between Girard-Perregaux and Aston Martin, the Neo Bridges Aston Martin Edition, facelifts the entry-level mode of the watchmaker’s signature “Bridge” line. Drawing inspiration from the Aston Martin DB12 grand tourer, the new timepiece merges horology and automotive inspiration. Initial thoughts The origin of Girard-Perregaux’s “Bridge” collection is entirely classical, starting in the 19th century with the Three Gold Bridges tourbillon pocket watches that were made in tiny numbers (including one sold to the President of Mexico). The brand has modernised the line in recent years with the Neo Bridges and now adds to the mix a motorsport brand with a rich heritage, which further emphasises the sporty, contemporary nature of the design. The Neo Bridges fully embraces a forward-looking aesthetic, so the Aston Martin connection is natural considering the carmaker’s creations in the super-, hyper-, and concept-car space. Admittedly, the changes to the Aston Martin edition are largely cosmetic, but they are done well. I think this edition offers a more appealing and more functional look than recent editions like the Earth and Sky that had fewer luminous components on the dial. The only aspect of the watch that could be done better is the Aston Martin logo printed on the sapphire case back; I would have prefer a logo discreetly engraved on the rim of the case back. However, the Aston Martin connection brings with it an increase in ...

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Q Quill & Pad

Quill & Pad

Oct 31, 2023

Why I Upgraded My D. Dornblüth & Sohn 99.1 Watch With A Handmade Ceramic Dial - Reprise

During a visit to D.Dornblüth & Sohn in eastern Germany, Bhanu Chopra noticed a new matte black ceramic dial in the workshop and loved the look so much that he asked the independent watchmaker to replace the more standard silver dial on his Dornblüth 99.1 with the new black one. And he's very pleased with the result.

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SJX Watches

Audemars Piguet withdrew from Oct 23, 2023

Business News: Only Watch Postponed to 2024

Today, the Association Monègasque les Myopathies (AMM) has decided to postpone what would have been the 10th instalment of Only Watch to 2024. Following questions on social media over the past couple of weeks, the foundation behind the charity auction has just released a statement outlining plans to push the event to next year, to allow it to take place in “in harmony with the community”. This news is coming despite a strong and public statement of support by François-Paul Journe declaring his “total confidence”, but also shortly after Audemars Piguet withdrew from the auction without any public statement as to why. The statement of support from François-Paul Journe The postponement is a regrettable move given the value of the initiative for medical research, but clearly one that founder Luc Pettavino and his team feel is necessary with just under two weeks until the auction was due to take place. Hopefully this delay will give its organisers time to quell the doubters on social media in recent days. With no set date yet announced, it is clear that this is a still a fluid situation and so we may see this auction take place early in the year, rather than during the fall as is tradition. However, it seems that those behind Only Watch take the concerns of the community seriously enough to ensure there is enough time to answer them all. We will be keeping you up to date as this story develops and more announcements are made. For the full statement from Only Watch, v...

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SJX Watches

Vacheron Constantin Partners Oct 4, 2023

Vacheron Constantin Partners the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Described as an “artistic and cultural alliance”, Vacheron Constantin has just inked a partnership with the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York. One of the world’s foremost museums, the Met becomes Vacheron Constantin’s second key museum partner after the Louvre. Although the details of their upcoming projects are limited, both institutions have disclosed a shared intention to launch an artist-in-residence programme as well as educational initiatives, and of course debut unique Vacheron Constantin timepieces inspired by artworks in the Met’s collection. Vacheron Constantin chief executive Louis Ferla with Director of the Met, Max Hollein. Image – Vacheron Constantin VC’s immersion in the arts The new partnership represents the brand’s most recent effort to align the realms of fine watchmaking and the arts. While collaborations of this kind are not novel, it seems likely that Vacheron Constantin (VC) will leverage this partnership and use the Met’s artworks as inspiration for exquisite and artisanal timepieces, something it did already with the Louvre in 2019.  As a result of their partnership, VC and the Parisian museum teamed up for a charity auction conducted by Christie’s, where the winning bidder had the privilege of selecting a masterpiece from the Louvre’s collection to be recreated on a grisaille enamel dial of a custom-made Les Cabinotiers timepiece. While the winning bidder could chose from any of the Louvre’s works except for Leonardo ...

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W Worn & Wound

Worn & Wound

Seiko Adds New Enamel Sep 18, 2023

Seiko Adds New Enamel and Urushi Lacquer Dials to their Presage Craftsmanship Series

Seiko has been bringing the heat (quite literally) with sophisticated and labor-intensive dials to its mid-level lines like Presage. Last week we saw a slew of releases celebrating the 110th anniversary of the Laurel, Seiko’s first watch. The headliner was the Presage SPB401 and its enamel dial. Today we see enamel and lacquer make their way to the Presage collection in the form of three new references. The changes don’t stop there, though; there’s more to these watches than new dials. In a break from the current porcelain dials in the Craftsmanship Series, the new SPB403 features a white enamel dial courtesy of Mitsuru Yokasawa and Co. The dial layout on these references has been simplified with thin stick hour markers (as opposed to thin roman numerals). This results in a more versatile watch and allows the color and material to take center stage. In a nice touch, the chapter ring is further subdivided into sixths, corresponding to the movement’s 3Hz beat rate. Of the three, the SPB403 is the most classic-looking and comes on a five link bracelet with Seiko’s super-hard coating. The SPB405 (black dial) and SPB407 (green dial) incorporate the ancient art of lacquering into the Seiko Presage Craftsmanship Series. Made from the sap of the Urushi tree (Rhus verniciflua, found primarily in China and Japan), Japanese lacquer is notoriously expensive and highly prized. Master Usshu Tamura and his team at Seiko have developed a method that, unlike enamel, allows the la...

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Worn & Wound

Brew x Worn & Wound Sep 5, 2023

Introducing the Brew x Worn & Wound Metric Chrono Regulators

Normal is boring. Normal is not original. Normal is never pushing boundaries. People are not normal. People are unique. People are all limited editions of one. Not being normal has always been in the DNA of Brew Watch Company, founded by Jonathan Ferrer. This is why we’ve covered Brew on Worn & Wound since its launch back in 2015. When other brands were sticking to round cases, Brew went rectangular. When other brands were focused on mid-century divers, Brew made watches inspired by the joy of coffee. Brew didn’t zig when others zagged, because they were never on the same road to begin with. The post Introducing the Brew x Worn & Wound Metric Chrono Regulators appeared first on Worn & Wound.

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Worn & Wound

Doxa SUB 300β Sharkhunter Aug 31, 2023

The Doxa SUB 300β Sharkhunter is one of the Strangest Releases of the Year

Geneva Watch Days, like any big trade event in the watch industry, means a cluster of brands with new releases, all vying for the attention of the public, and of watch media. The “novelties” that are unveiled during these things are often just that, in the sense that these new releases are perhaps not representative of what a brand will usually produce. They are meant to grab headlines, start conversations, and garner immediate reactions. They’re novel. This year, Doxa showed us that they know how to play the game, with a new watch that quickly became a hot topic all over Watch Internet: the SUB 300β Sharkhunter. What we have here is a SUB 300 in a black ceramic case with 18K gold accents on the bezel and crown. No Doxa has ever expressed this particular kind of understated nightlife vibe ever before, for better or worse. Doxa seems to be leaning into it – their press copy says this watch was built to defy dress codes. Now, I’m an American, an elder millennial, and I feel like I’ve been defying dress codes for as long as I’ve been a functioning adult (I’ve been told we killed Business Casual – you’re welcome). But for some, subverting a dress code might be a serious transgression, and for them, Doxa has a watch made just for you.  The strange thing about the SUB 300β Sharkhunter, beyond the fact that this is a Doxa with solid gold components, a rare occurrence but not unheard of, is the visual impression of the dial. This watch, believe it or not, ha...

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Worn & Wound

Massena Lab Massena LAB takes another Aug 30, 2023

Hands-On: The Chronograph Monopoussoir Sylvain Pinaud x Massena LAB

Massena LAB takes another big step this week with the introduction of a new collaboration with independent watchmaker, Sylvain Pinaud. The watch, a monopusher chronograph, is immensely impressive, shifting expectations around the collaborative space as a whole. We had the chance to meet Sylvain Pinaud in Geneva during Watches & Wonders 2022 at a space dedicated to the AHCI (The Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants), where his Origine watch made one of the strongest impressions of the entire week. The watch would go on to nab a GPHG award for Horological Revelation later that year. If you weren’t familiar with that watch, this latest effort should place him firmly on your radar. This project, done in collaboration with Massena LAB, uses Pinaud’s existing Monopoussoir Chronograph movement, and places it into a new platform with a slightly more classically designed 42mm titanium case. That case is how the collaboration began, with the new design coming at the request of William Massena himself. The process resulted in enough interest to create a limited run of 10 pieces. The watch itself makes an immediate impression, with an open dial revealing the beautifully finished chronograph works below. The movement, crafted by Pinaud, is hand wound, and features an integrated column wheel and horizontal clutch, which can be started, stopped, and rest all via the single button nestled discreetly within the crown at 3 o’clock. Turning the watch on its side reveals an...

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SJX Watches

F.P. Journe whose Chronomètre Furtif Bleu Aug 28, 2023

Rexhep Rexhepi Reveals the Chronomètre Antimagnétique for Only Watch 2023

Having dropped tantalising clues about his creation for Only Watch 2023 a few weeks ago, Akrivia founder Rexhep Rexhepi has finally taken the covers off the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Antimagnétique. A unique creation with a brand-new movement, the Chronomètre Antimagnétique (RRCA) is a time-only wristwatch with a steel case, one that was inspired by the magnetism-resistant chronometers of the mid-20th century. Its design has clear roots in vintage watches, while the movement features an indirect centre seconds with a hacking, zero-reset mechanism. Initial thoughts About the half the offerings in Only Watch 2023 are from independent watchmakers, but the creations vary tremendously in their originality and effort. Amongst the independents that created genuinely new watches for the event is F.P. Journe, whose Chronomètre Furtif Bleu is the first of a new sports model and likely the only watch ever made by an independent that boasts a tantalum bracelet. At the low-effort end of the spectrum is Moritz Grossmann that added “Only Watch” to the seconds register of a regular-production model and called it a day. The RRCA sits alongside the Chronomètre Furtif Bleu as being impressively original. The RRCA has an newly-designed steel case with a removable outer back and within, a calibre that inherits the distinctive Rexhep Rexhepi aesthetic but is newly developed from the ground up. Even though it is a simple watch with just three hands, the movement is executed in the Mr ...

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