WristBuzz
Baltic Hermétique The Rift: Iceland's Volcanic Landscape on Your Wrist
Baltic's rugged field watch goes full lume and full color, inspired by the dramatic terrain of southern Iceland, and now comes in a new 34mm case.
Results for Faraday Cage (Antimagnetic Case)
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WristBuzz
Hodinkee
Bring a Loupe: A Lucien Piccard Telephone, A Mappin and Webb Dress Watch, An Omega Admiralty, And A Jaeger LeCoultre Master Mariner
Friday's upon us again. Happy pumpkin spice season to all who celebrate. While you're deciding whether to see Digger in the theater, planning your elaborate Halloween costume, penciling in time to watch the WNBA finals and MLB playoffs, and tracking fallout from the Man City scandal, here are a few watches to tide you over as the mercury drops. Scorekeeping last week's picks, the ZRC went for €6,000, the Omega Ranchero for €3,500, the Cartier Santos sells tomorrow, and the Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar for $14,000. Strays Here's an honest-looking early Heuer 844, which, yes, has a worn crystal and bezel, and it 'requires attention' according to the listing. That said, it's got a decent-looking Monnin case, cathedral hands (meaning Mk 1), and a movement that's common enough to be fairly easily resurrected. For those who at some point fell into the Omega Symbol watch rabbit hole, here's a pair of excellent men's versions—this one and that one—and an accompanying pair of women's versions (this and that), and if all of that is gobbledygook to you, count yourself lucky and move along. If you've been hankering for a great-looking 1979 Rolex Milgauss ref. 1019, your time has come. Photo courtesy of The Saleroom. This is in the running as the prettiest school pocket watch I've seen in a long time, and a good argument for why people should continue investing more time, energy, and money into pocket watches. Bonhams' upcoming New York auction on the 8th has plenty of wo...
Hodinkee
Introducing: Ripe For Release, The BAIT x G-Shock 'Yamagata's Finest' DW5600
What We Know Whether you eat your banana traditionally or the long way, BAIT sees you and wants you to know your food-oriented horological stylings don't have to be confined to egg timers or rolling some beautiful bean footage. To honor that sometimes green, sometimes yellow, sometimes brown, sometimes in your freezer fruit (which is surprisingly grown in greenhouses in the cold Yamagata Prefecture, where G-Shocks are often made), the new collaboration is a speckled DW5600 like you know and love, just bananafied. What more can you say? The DW5600 is the G-Shock for a lot of people, and measures 42.8mm by 13.4mm in a resin plastic case. Now it's yellow, with brown accents in the text (and on the bezel and even a faux-sticker on the strap) and a just-ripe tip to the strap. The packaging is a special can and box with a brand-new makeshift mascot, "Shawty with Freckles" — think Chiquita banana without the copyright violation. But the made-up brand and made-up bananas have to come from somewhere. That place is BAIT FARMS, and they're releasing a bunch of other apparel (hat, T-shirt, a blue-and-white striped workshirt, and a cotton canvas work jacket) so you can get to work at the farm. Otherwise, it's possible you'll have no bananas. You'll have no bananas today. One of the best features is always the backlight, and this time you get the kissing banana as the background on the watch. Pricing hasn't been shared for the accessories, but we're a watch website, so we'll just stic...
WristBuzz
Nomos Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer Dark: The Blackout Edition You've Been Waiting For
The fan-favorite worldtimer goes full dark mode, and it works better than you'd expect
Worn & Wound
Gear Guide: Car Camping Essentials
Summer camping seems to get all the attention, but camping in the fall is the real MVP: changing leaves, cozy flannels, and way fewer mosquitoes buzzing in your ear. Two years ago I made the switch from sleeping in tents to spending the night in my Bronco Sport and I’ve learned a thing or two about best practices. Here’s my super condensed guide to enjoying the great outdoors from within your vehicle’s four doors. Mattress fitted to your vehicle Like almost everything in the gear world, quality can come with a steep price tag. The good news is there’s a wide array of options at different price points when it comes to a mattress to use in your car camping set-up. This option from deepsleep is spec’ed to my car and is frequently lauded by fellow owners in my Bronco forums. I didn’t want to drop $200 until I was sure car camping was for me, and went with a $70 option off Amazon. Amazon has a feature that will let you know if a piece of equipment is approved for your make and model, and it was accurate in my case – though I still measured the back of my car to check. Car lantern Nature can be dark… like, really dark. Flashlights are fine when you’re on the move, but for camping in my car I definitely prefer a lantern. It casts a wider glow and stands on its own hands-free. Some people hang strings of lights from their trunks and I’m so here for the Pinterest aesthetic. It’s just not super practical for the way I do things. A no-frills Coleman lantern ce...
WristBuzz
Grönefeld 1941 Quadrivium: Bart and Tim Combine Their Four Greatest Hits Into One Movement
The Dutch brothers unite the remontoire, tourbillon, and signature design cues from their most celebrated references into a single tour de force
SJX Watches
Insight: Screw-Down Showdown
Mechanical movements attract most of the technical interest in watchmaking, but considerable engineering also goes into keeping them dry. For an everyday watch, the waterproof construction of the case and crown is central to its reliability, yet the way these components keep water out is often misunderstood. Screw-down crowns and case backs are widely regarded as the best way to seal a watch. But the choice is not always straightforward. On a hand-wound watch, for example, a screw-down crown must be unscrewed and tightened regularly, adding an extra step to winding and potentially compromising the threads. The Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, on the other hand, features a conventional crown and is rated to 50 m. Even so, some owners remain wary of exposing it to more than an occasional splash. So the question is, how much protection can a conventional crown provide, and what does a screw-down construction add? To understand the distinction, we take a closer look at the crown, its tube and the gaskets that form the seal. As a disclaimer, this discussion concerns modern watches with seals in good condition; vintage watches and those long overdue for service should be checked for waterproofness prior to contact with water. A common misconception The actual waterproofness of a joint relates to the uniformity of the seal pressure. In this case, “waterproofness” is used broadly as the ability of a mechanical joint to keep water from seeping in under normal functioning conditions...
Hodinkee
Introducing: Grand Seiko Elegance SBGW325 'Arabic Blue' Limited Edition
What We Know It's likely that very few people, save the Grand Seiko diehards, remember the first manually winding 9S caliber in the GS collection. A distinction within a distinction, it did set the stage for a number of deeply loved models and the eventual development of one of my favorite movements, the relatively recent 9SA4. But back in 2001, Grand Seiko launched the SBGW003, a relatively simple-looking watch with an opaline white dial and distinctive applied gold numerals. It might seem a bit anachronistic, but that's why Grand Seiko is honoring the 25th anniversary with a very modernized homage, the Elegance SBGW325 'Arabic Blue.' To be fair, the new SBGW325 looks so much newer because the original was also a tribute to the past, furthering the aesthetic divide. Now, the watch features a deep navy blue dial inspired by Japan's indigo craft heritage, with silver-toned hands and indices, including the distinctive applied numerals to honor the original. There's also a touch of gold, a reference to the original indices, I'd imagine, with the central seconds hand and GS logo. The serif on the numerals seems to have been softened a bit as well. The Zaratsu-polished stainless steel case measures 37.3mm by 11.7mm with a 44.3mm lug-to-lug, capped by a box-style crystal. The watch is limited to a 30m water resistance but comes with a display caseback through which you can see the 9S64 caliber movement. That gives a 72-hour power reserve running at 4Hz. But overall, the watch ma...
Hodinkee
Business News: Watches And Wonders 2027 To Feature More New Brands Including Berneron And Porsche Design
Watches and Wonders, the year's largest and most significant horology event, held each spring in Geneva, will welcome ten more brands for the 2027 edition, including Berneron, Porsche Design, and Singer Reimagined, bringing the total to 75. This new group will join Breitling's House of Brands, which announced earlier this year that it will participate. Watches and Wonders organizers said the diversity of the 13 brands attending the show for the first time in 2027 underscores the varied slate of watch industry participants now part of the event, ranging from Rolex, Cartier and Patek Philippe, to now Stollenwurm, an upstart Swiss high-horology marque named for a mythical creature and founded by a former Boston-based biotech executive. Berneron will also join the roster for Watches and Wonders 2027. Launched in 2022 and led by designer (and ex-Breitling executive) Sylvain Berneron, the brand has earned accolades from the industry and collectors; its limited production, shaped case, and full-gold movement pieces have soared in value on the secondary market. A rare example of the Mirage in 34mm, the white gold Viridian with a chrysoprase dial, sold by the brand to a client for about CHF 51,000, recently fetched $521,400 on the auction site Loupe This. The Berneron Quantième is the brand's second model line.Photo credit: Mark Kauzlarich Berneron recently told Hodinkee in an interview that the prices paid for his watches on the secondary market are "unsustainable," and...
![Introducing: The Rolex Perpetual Padellone [Hands-On, Live Pics, Technical Brief, Competition, & Personal Thoughts]](https://hodinkee.imgix.net/uploads/images/2480c45f-6114-4c76-ab81-106e31ebbecd/Rolex-Perpetual-Padellone-2026-1-2.jpg?ixlib=rails-1.1.0&fm=jpg&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&w=2000)
Hodinkee
Introducing: The Rolex Perpetual Padellone [Hands-On, Live Pics, Technical Brief, Competition, & Personal Thoughts]
It's a watch that has been long-awaited: Rolex has just announced the new Perpetual Padellone—a very classic and technically impressive instantaneous annual calendar with moonphase. The new release comes three years after the launch of the 1908, which replaced the discontinued Cellini collection and introduced the Perpetual line. Now, that new collection goes in a more complicated direction. James Stacey is in Milan for the launch—and even got to see the watch in advance—so read on for a section later in this article featuring his hands-on impressions. The new 2026 Rolex Perpetual Padellone. Let's start with a piece of fun trivia. This is the first Rolex model—to my knowledge—to take its *actual* name from a nickname given by collectors to its historical predecessor. The ref. 8171—which Rolex explicitly cites as the inspiration for the new watch—was nicknamed the Padellone, Italian for "large frying pan," for its wide 38mm flat case and slightly domed dial. So it's appropriate that Rolex would return to Milan—arguably the birthplace of vintage watch collecting—to launch a watch that will likely make a lot of vintage lovers happy. A vintage Rolex ref. 8171 "Padellone." Even if you don't know the history of vintage Rolex or the 8171—which we'll cover in a minute—a new watch from Rolex (especially one launched off-cycle, so to speak, outside Watches & Wonders) is always a big deal. The only recent similar release was the surprise launch of the white go...
Hodinkee
Bring a Loupe: A Pair Of Issued Smiths, A Gübelin 18K Triple Date Moonphase, A Universal Genève Ferrovie dello Stato, And Much More
Happy Friday, folks, and congrats on bustling through another week. Hopefully you're staring down a welcome break of a weekend with rest and good cheer. Scorekeeping last week's picks, the Zenith De Luca sold for €4,750, the Carlo Ferrara for €2,816, the Gen 1 Speedmaster X-33 for 2,000 SGD, and the Patek Philippe 1415 will sell this Friday. Strays Photo courtesy of The Saleroom. For those suddenly enthusiastic about vintage Zenith De Lucas that look an awful lot like the Daytona of the same time period, here's an excellent example, but if you'd rather a Zenith with a little more color and flash and water resistance, here's a great-looking vintage Defy. This Gübelin pocket watch is breath-arrestingly lovely, as are both of these (dog leg, non dog leg) 18k Omega Constellations. This Vintage Meister Anker chronograph is a catch-22 watch in that it looks really cool, but it's also got a plated case, and it's powered by an Ebauches Bettlach pin-lever movement, so proceed with caution. On September 18, Millon in Paris will host an auction that's listed as the "Collection Monsieur B," and whoever Monsieur B is, he's got phenomenal taste. Among the offerings are an Omega Chronometer Seamaster 'Sparkle' reference 168.022, a Universal Genève Polerouter Super, an Omega Holy Grail, a Sinn EZM 1, and a Zenith El Primero A386, but there are tons more you should go check out. Finally: Memosails forever. A Pair of Issued Smiths The British Ministry of Defense issued the Smiths W10 ...
Worn & Wound
Hands-On: the Chronoswiss Pulse GMT
I love the experience of a truly unique watch. A watch that, despite doing what the rest of them do, for all intents and purposes, is still unlike anything you’ve strapped to your wrist. This goes beyond the dial to the case, bracelet, time-telling, movement, etc. It doesn’t have to encompass all of those things, but when it does, it reminds you that there is still creativity in the watch world. The Chronoswiss Pulse GMT is one such watch. It’s almost hard to describe the Pulse GMT. It’s something between an integrated-bracelet sports watch and a conceptual neo-futurist travel thingamajiggy. Frankly, had I been told it was a prop from *Gattaca* or another stylized sci-fi film, I might have believed it. Its lines are fluid and complex, except when they aren’t, touching on biomorphic forms while also speaking to the traditional inspirations the brand was founded on. It’s not an easy watch to digest at a glance, presenting conflicting forms, and yet it works. Well, for me it does, but I like weird watches. And regulators. And weird regulators. Starting with the case and bracelet, though integrated, there is a merging of two concepts. Ignoring the bracelet entirely, the central case measures 41.4mm x ~48mm x 13.6mm to the top of the slightly domed sapphire crystal and draws from the brand’s historical DNA, but mutates it substantially. The coined-edge bezel and caseback become notched instead. Less ornate but still textural, it gives more diver than pocket watch....
SJX Watches
Lange’s Triple Split is Now a Platinum Panda
Arguably the most accomplished A. Lange & Söhne chronograph – and undoubtedly the largest – the Triple Split returns for the third time in the best looking guise yet. Now in platinum for the first time, the new Triple Split has a silver dial with dark grey registers – a “panda” dial done Lange style. Following the last iteration in pink gold from 2021, the latest Triple Split is a new take on the familiar model, so the rest remains the same, including the chunky case that’s 15.6 mm high and accommodates the magnificent, multilayered L132.1 that can measure a pair of elapsed times of up to 12 hours, a world first and only. Initial thoughts The new Triple Split is merely a cosmetic variation on the model, but it’s probably the most appealing version of the model to date. The “panda” dial is a pale grey that reminds me of a long-ago Lange limited edition chronograph, while the dark grey sub-dials are a striking feature rarely found on Lange chronographs. Likewise, the case is identically sized, but now in platinum. The immediate impression of the Triple Split is one of size and weight – now even weightier thanks to the platinum case. It’s a reassuring feeling, albeit at the expense of balance on the wrist and ergonomics. This sensation is de rigueur for complicated Lange watches. In keeping with Lange’s recent confidence, the Triple Split is more expensive than its prior iterations, even accounting for the platinum case. But as is the case with the b...
WristBuzz
Breitling Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41 Tribute to Miles Davis: 500 Pieces for the Centennial
Breitling goes back to the ref. 806 Mk5 to honor the jazz legend who actually wore one. Limited to 500 pieces in steel, with a trio set in gold and platinum for the committed.
WristBuzz
Rolex's One-of-a-Kind Daytona Four Seasons Set Is Heading to Auction for Charity
Four gem-set Daytonas, one per season, each truly unique - and every penny goes to the Federer Foundation and Re:wild
Hodinkee
Introducing: The Oris Social Club Edition II
What We Know As part of the brand's varied releases for Geneva Watch Days, Oris has announced the Social Club Edition II, a special creation sold exclusively online in partnership with the Oris Social Club. The group spans some 62 chapters all over the world, and the latest offering to the acolytes is a handsome expression of the Aquis Relief that incorporates a green nylon NATO-style strap. Measuring in at 43.5mm, the Social Club Edition II builds upon the standard Aquis Relief by complementing the steel bezel design with a frosted silver finish for the dial. Look a bit closer, and you'll see that there is an easter egg for the date, too, as the first-of-the-month position will feature an image of Oris' mascot, the Oris Bear. Flip the watch over, and you'll find a custom caseback showing the Oris factory in Holstein and "OSC | INT" to mark the club's international membership. The full specs are provided below, but the Oris Social Club Edition II is 13.1mm thick and 51mm lug to lug with 300 meters of water resistance protecting the Oris 733 movement within. The 733 is based on the Sellita SW 200-1 and is an automatic, Swiss-made movement that ticks at 4 Hz and offers a date, which, for this model, is at 6 o'clock. Perhaps most interesting – or perhaps I just like NATO straps – Oris has elected to fit lug adapters to the Aquis' proprietary lugs to enable the use of a green NATO strap. The Oris Social Club Edition II is not limited and will be available in Septembe...
SJX Watches
Striking Resemblance: The Piaget Polo Minute Repeater
More than a decade after unveiling its first in-house minute repeater, Piaget has revived the once-record-setting calibre in a familiar-looking guise. The new Polo Minute Repeater pairs the ultra-thin, micro-rotor cal. 1209P with the modern Polo case and a striking, partially open-worked guilloche dial. Initial thoughts The Polo Minute Repeater is a new watch, but it bears a striking resemblance to the Emperador Coussin of 2013. This isn’t that surprising, since the contemporary Polo — refreshed in 2016 — borrows significantly from the Emperador’s case design. But in this case the similarity is more than skin deep, since the Polo Minute Repeater shares the same movement as its predecessor: the cal. 1209P. This ultra-thin calibre was once the world’s thinnest minute repeater — a title it maintained for three years before the launch of the Bulgari BVL 362, based on a 1980s Gerald Genta calibre. The Polo is big but flat, measuring 48 mm wide but just 9.3 mm thick. The size is partly due to the movement construction, which spreads out the major component groups into two slim planes with the escapement, micro-rotor, and twin minute repeater hammers on on one level, and the racks and centripetal governor on top. This 2010s-era sizing is arguably out of step with current fads where small watches are all the rage, but the watch is elegant and evokes 1970s “jumbo” watches with its wide-but-flat profile. In any case, wearability is probably a moot point considering t...
Worn & Wound
Review: the DWC Terra
What happens when a watch goes viral? Well, besides the obvious – everyone sees them, everyone buys them, second hand prices go crazy – you know the deal. That’s exactly what happened with the DWC Terra – a unique take on the field watch by the small Indian brand, Delhi Watch Co. Military-inspired field watches out there have their charm, but they all tend to blend in. For good reason too – they’re built to a military specification that calls out for case size, dial markings, and beyond — generally sticking to a formula that makes sense when it needs to be as standard as a uniform. That’s where the DWC Terra takes a huge turn. It’s a field watch, but looks more like something that would be at home on the wrist of one of the deep space truckers in Alien than it does something that’d be worn down here on Earth. They stick to the classic field watch simplicity, but the package represents something new that we’ve never seen before in the watch world. Let’s take a closer look at this interesting, affordable, and unique take on the field watch. In case you missed it, this watch has a pretty fair amount of hype going around it. Sold out in a flash with Ticketmaster-style online queues that were thousands long, the Terra made a pretty big impact when it hit the market. DWC is short for Delhi Watch Company — a small brand based out of Delhi, India that focuses on watches with unique designs at a reasonable price point. The Terra hits both of those with eas...
Hodinkee
Bring a Loupe: A Hamilton Cross Country, A Heuer Titanium Quartz, A Movado Super Sub Sea Chronograph, And More
Welcome to August's end, everyone. I never know how to start these things—there's too much variety in most of our days, meaning that, short of borderline universal cultural experiences, it's hard to know what we'd all even know about. That said, I'd like to offer quick thanks: I've now lucked into writing Bring A Loupe for six months, and it's just tremendous fun, soup to nuts. Thanks for reading, and I look forward to working as hard as I can to not bore you for as long as I'm allowed. Also, boo to Dolly Parton's and Tim Curry's passing. Terrible plot twist. Scorekeeping last week's picks, the Hublot Orlinski's on hold, the Seiko Sportura sold for €1,350, the Breitling Tabarly for €760, and the Yema Tomahawk for £800. Strays I have failed to highlight fun skin divers over the last couple of weeks, so let me ameliorate that lack with this Dupont and this LIP. They share identical all-steel skin diver cases; the differences in their bezels are awfully minor, and the Dupont's got a bracelet, so maybe that's enough of a needle-mover. This Breguet Chronoscope pocketwatch in platinum's not in perfect condition—the dial's got a few spots—but it is also incredibly gorgeous, the design is fantastic, and Monaco Legend Group sold a silver version in 2023 for €16,000, so plan accordingly. I could be wrong, but it looks like this ultra-thin solid gold quartz Jaeger was made by other brands as well, among them Bulova (who called their version a Phantom) and Microma (appare...
SJX Watches
Anordain’s New Model 1 Combines Porcelain Dial and Custom Font
Best known for its affordable watches with fired enamel dials, Anordain is diversifying its offerings with the Model 1 Porcelain. Sporting a traditional porcelain dial, the new Model 1 showcases a brand-new, custom font that’s a twist on the traditional Breguet style, reflecting the brand’s focus on the finer details of design. Beyond a new design direction for the Scotland-based Anordain, the Model 1 is also represents a scaling up of its business. While the porcelain dial is made the old fashion way – painted by hand with a clay-based mixture – it can be produced at a higher rate than Anordain’s enamel dials, making the new Model 1 accessible both in terms of price and availability. Initial thoughts The Model 1 Porcelain is interesting from a business perspective. It underlines Anordain’s growth, as well as the brand’s strategy for dealing with its growth. Scaling up production sizeably while still preserving its speciality of traditional, artisanal-type dials is a prudent approach that maintains the brand’s identity. The Model 1 Porcelain, however, is not an industrial product. Rather, it retains the quirky character typical of Anordain’s watches. The watch is still typical Anordain with its clean design and thoughtful details. The dial and typography are appealing, especially with accents like the five-minute numerals and railway-like minute scale. The seemingly mismatched hands leave me with mixed feelings, but the whole is still attractive. The opti...
Hodinkee
Inside The Manufacture: Why Fam al Hut Is Pursuing Manufacture Status
This story is a special presentation from Hodinkee Japan, written and illustrated by Masaharu Wada, the Deputy Editor-in-Chief for Hodinkee Japan. For a young brand to revisit roughly 98 percent of the movement components in a GPHG-winning watch after receiving the award might ordinarily sound like cause for concern. But when I visited Fam al Hut's workshop in Taicang, Jiangsu Province, China, I came away feeling almost the opposite. More than anything else, that fact seemed to capture exactly where the brand stands today. A large industrial elevator takes you to the second floor, where the doors open onto a long central corridor. To the right, behind glass walls, designers and engineers gather around technical drawings. To the left is a production floor lined with five CNC machines and other machine tools. Farther inside are a prototyping room, a finishing department, a clean room for movement assembly, a quality-control room, a stockroom, and even a dedicated room housing a femtosecond laser machine. Not everything is made here. Cases and sapphire crystals, among other components, still come from outside suppliers. What Fam al Hut has built, however, is an environment in which it can control the design, prototyping, machining, assembly, testing, and continued development of its movements. For such a young independent brand, the scale of the operation was far beyond what I had expected. Fam al Hut was founded in 2024. The following year, its debut watch, the MARK 1 Möb...
Worn & Wound
Hands-On: the Bernhardt Captain
Bernhardt’s Captain collection is a new range of dress watches that I think loosely falls in the Calatrave-esque trend that has been emerging, most notably through a variety of Japanese indies and micros, over the last few years. As interest in chunky divers and sports watches appears to wane a bit, enthusiasts are (finally) willing to look at watches in other genres, and brands are delivering with a variety of takes on the dress watch format. This is a fundamentally good thing for the community, but it’s not easy to make a dress watch. It is, conversely, very easy to attempt to make a dress watch and actually make a regular old daily driver, the type of watch that most people who had any desire to wear any watch at all would have owned in the middle part of the 20th century. $749 Hands-On: the Bernhardt Captain Case Stainless steel Movement Miyota 9039 Dial Silver Lume None Lens Sapphire Strap leather Water Resistance 50 Dimensions 38 x 45mm Thickness 9.55mm Lug Width 20mm Crown Push/pull Warranty yes Price $749 A dress watch, to me, is a very specific thing. If it’s mechanical, it’s manually wound. It’s more likely to not have a seconds hand, and indices and other markings should be minimal. It obviously should be quite thin and relatively small in size, and if I were really being a snob about it, I’d insist it should be in a precious metal, but I’m not a snob and that’s ridiculous. It does speak, though, to the idea that when you use the word “d...
Hodinkee
Introducing: The Fears Brunswick 40.5 Jump Hour 'Ultimus'
What We Know Fears just announced the final chapter of its Brunswick Jump Hour collection, and this appropriately named Brunswick 40.5 Jump Hour 'Ultimus' might just be the collection's most interesting execution yet. Designed in collaboration with British watch content creator Andrew Morgan, the Ultimus takes the modern design cues from the Brunswick Jump Hour all the way to eleven, with a stark black-and-white sensibility in a very sleek "Phantom White" dial execution. The focal point is the new jump hour dial, and yes, it's very lumed. Rather than in typical Brunswick Jump Hour executions, which hide all inactive numerals, this dial execution uses sapphire to reveal the oversized hour disc beneath and leans into it as part of the design. A black outer ring holds minimal branding, and within are two luminous ceramic discs—the lower disc is for the rotating (and jumping) hours, and the other disc floats above, housing the printed minute track and the oversized black minute hand. That center lumed ceramic disc above is also connected to a frosted outer ring, which holds the printed minute numerals and offers a subtle peek at the inactive hour numerals on the rest of the dial. At twelve o'clock is a magnifier, which replaces the typical framed window we've seen on the other Brunswick Jump Hours to highlight the current hour and its numeral(s) in full. The steel case is unchanged in this edition, with a diameter of 40.5mm, a thickness of 12.8mm, and a lug-to-lug of 47mm. I...
Fratello
A Promising First Encounter With The Updated Aera D-1 Diver
Making a dive watch stand out today is genuinely tough. The archetype has been reinterpreted so many times that most releases blur together. The Aera D-1 Diver, however, managed to catch my attention with its less-is-more design philosophy. This modern diver uses fairly minimalist visual cues and combines them with a beautifully sculpted case. Add […] Visit A Promising First Encounter With The Updated Aera D-1 Diver to read the full article.
WatchRider
Citizen Garrison BM8560 vs TAG Heuer Autavia: An Affordable Pilot Watch Alternative?
I own both the Citizen Garrison and the TAG Heuer Autavia WBE5116.EB0173, and the difference between them goes far beyond price. The Citizen Garrison uses Citizen’s light-powered Eco-Drive movement and a remarkably light Super Titanium case, while the TAG Heuer Autavia is a Swiss automatic pilot watch with a COSC-certified Calibre 5 movement, a 42 mm steel case and a distinctive blue smoked dial. One is accessible and practical, designed for easy daily ownership. The other is a discontinued premium model with strong aviation heritage. That makes this an unusual but revealing comparison. Can an affordable Citizen Garrison provide the same wrist presence, legibility and everyday enjoyment as a significantly more expensive TAG Heuer Autavia? And how much do the Autavia’s automatic movement, finishing, heritage and premium positioning actually change the ownership experience? In this comparison, I will examine their design, comfort, materials, movements, readability and real-world value. For anyone searching for the best affordable pilot watches, or wondering whether an affordable pilot watch alternative can compete with a premium Swiss model, these two watches offer a fascinating answer. Case Size, Quality, and Comfort Both watches are very well made, but I sincerely prefer the Citizen’s case. The TAG Heuer Autavia has the solid construction and clean finishing expected from a premium Swiss watch. Its stainless-steel case feels substantial, and the transitions between i...
WatchRider
Citizen Imperial Battle AW1857-57W Brings the Dark Side to Eco-Drive
Officially known as the Citizen Imperial Battle AW1857-57W, the latest Star Wars collaboration goes straight for the franchise’s most recognizable hardware. The red-and-black metal dial uses original embossed artwork to turn the Death Star into a richly textured backdrop, while a swarm of TIE Fighters appears to fly above it. An applied Galactic Empire crest occupies 12 o’clock, and the date window sits at 3 o’clock without trying to compete with the miniature space battle. Citizen Imperial Battle AW1857-57W. Death Star detail, wearable hardware Citizen did not stop at decorating the dial. The angular, hexagonal 42 mm stainless-steel case is finished in dark gray ion plating and shaped to recall the six-sided solar panels of a TIE Fighter. A matching ion-plated steel bracelet mixes brushed surfaces with glossy central details and closes with a fold-over clasp and twin push buttons. A ring of oversized five-minute numerals around the crystal reinforces the industrial styling, with selected markings picked out in red. The watch looks almost architectural from the front, but a relatively conventional crown and three-link bracelet keep the construction familiar. The rear view continues the theme with an engraved Imperial crest, Star Wars branding and Lucasfilm licensing. It also confirms 10-bar water resistance, equivalent to 100 metres. A scratch-resistant sapphire crystal protects the elaborate dial, giving the watch specifications suited to regular wear rather than di...
Hodinkee
Bring a Loupe: A Limited Edition Inter Miami Tudor, A Jaeger 4ATM, A Longines Ultra-Chron Jumbo, And A Pair Of Tudor Rangers
Happy Friday, Ballers, and I hope everyone's buckled in for what looks to be some excellent football (and, if you were lucky enough to catch the England v Mexico match, you've already seen some of the best ever). Scorekeeping last week's picks, the Million "Sherpa Cousin" sells on Sunday the 12th, the 18k Omega Constellation ref 2648 sold for €4218 all-in, the Sarpaneva x Moomin went for $8,800, and the Vacheron Constantin 4111 with the 'washed' dial sold for €100,000. Strays It feels like Seiko 6139s are a sort of necessary step in early collecting. They're lovely vintage watches; there are lots of them out there, and, unless you're hankering for a flawless Resist-dialed Pogue, they're fairly reasonable. This week, Goodwill has a blue-dialed 6139-6005, and it's not only in very good shape but also early in the model run, which you can tell from the 'notch' case (the small cutout for the crown) and the early Z bracelet. Photo courtesy of Goodwill. If you're on the hunt for vintage steel-cased time-only beauties, this Jaeger-LeCoultre sure seems excellent, ditto this Favre-Leuba Daymatic, or this Movado with its bit of patina, and if those aren't quite your tune, there's this NOS Tissot, serviced in 2026, which, yes, is small (31mm), but I dare you to click that link and not get a little distracted by the watch's pristine condition. Rossini's auction on the 11th is chock-full of goodies, but the ones I kept returning to were this RAID edition Speedmaster (if this ...
Worn & Wound
Review: the Isotope OVNI Jumping Hour Founders Edition
They say good things come to those who wait. It’s almost a decade since Isotope launched their Rider Jumping Hour, and has introduced a variety of GMTs, dive watches, chronographs and dress watches since then, without revisiting one of my favorite complications. It feels like a couple of years ago that Isotope founder José Miranda began to tease the long awaited follow up to watch enthusiasts at events across the globe. Last August the OVNI Jumping Hour Founders Edition was finally unveiled to the world. The 150 Founders Edition watches sold out during the pre-order period, and now a production piece has landed on my desk. Since its inception, the OVNI has promised to be an other-worldly timepiece, from its name right through to its flying saucer form, and at first glance it hasn’t shied away from that aspiration. So, how easy is it to live with a UFO on your wrist? When talking about the OVNI, it makes sense to start with the case. Named OVNI (the Portuguese equivalent of Unidentified Flying Object is Objeto Voador Nãu Identificado), the body of the watch is designed to mimic the traditional flying saucer shape associated with UFOs throughout the years. Crafted from 904L stainless steel and given a brushed finish, the case is an oblate spheroid, slightly flatter on the back than the front. It resembles a perfect ball of steel that has been left out in the hot, hot sun. Smooth and organic, yet dense and alien. The lugs and crown are attached to the case rather than f...
Hodinkee
Bring a Loupe: A Million Valjoux 72, An 18k Gold Constellation, And A Sarpaneva Moomin
Happy Friday again, Ballers, and congrats to whoever snagged the Omega 2998-4 on Goodwill earlier this week. I'm fighting multiple aspects of my nature—as a midwesterner and a dad—to avoid making lame jokes about the heat, but fingers crossed, the fever's breaking, and it'll return to average temperatures sometime soon for all of us. Scorekeeping last week's picks, the Hamilton sold for $4,300, the Speedmaster Soyuz for €18,000, and the Universal Genève Rattrapante for GBP 4,250 . The Goldpfiel Vianney Halter sold, but the auction house hasn't listed the price online and hasn't responded to my email, so we'll all have to live with the mystery. Strays I mentioned Always Sunny last week, and now this week there's this exquisite Movado Ermeto with a caseback dedication—Dennis from Mac—that feels too good not to include. I figured it'd be fun to stir the pot last week and argue the Hamilton Model 21 as the Most Important American Watch in history. For whatever it's worth, the runner-up would've been the Bulova Accutron, and the purest expression of that watch is the Spaceview, of which there's a nice (though non-running) version available here, which auction lot also includes a Spaceman watch (also not working), and the Spaceman, for what it's worth, deserves more oddball attention. Photo courtesy of Seuyco. Here's an almost comically reserved but gorgeous Grand Seiko SBGW235, and, in the same auction, here's what sure seems to be a great example of an IWC 'Steril...
Hodinkee
Bring a Loupe: The Most Important American Watch Ever Made, A Vianney Halter Jump Hour, An Omega Soyuz, And More
Happy Friday, friends, and congrats on tackling another week. The days are now growing shorter (if you're north of the equator), and if you, like me, live in a state where fireworks are legal, best of luck for what will presumably be a very loud and long week. But before all that, let's take a moment and enjoy some watches. Scorekeeping last week's picks, the Dugena and Mulco chronographs don't sell till the 27th, but the Rolex 6241 sold for 2,000,000 CHF, the Patek 5960 for 34,000 CHF, the Excelsior Park Monte Carlo passed, the Longines for TKTK (emailed, price not updated), and the Tavannes for TKTK (sells 6/25). Strays For all the Movado heads, this pocket watch looks spectacular, and if that doesn't ring your cherries, here's a gold-plated dual-time that's almost intimidatingly beautiful. My urge to recommend no-name skin divers will apparently never abate, and this week's pick is this Altitude that looks fantastic and is unlikely to sell for more than a few hundred dollars. Speaking of excellent divers, here's a Lip Nautic Ski, and, sure, it's a quartz watch from the 1970s, so (some) headaches await (though the watch is currently running, according to the listing), but I'm lately unable to shake an intense fondness for these latter Piquerez super compressor cases with their huge bezel and recessed crowns. Lastly, this Ebel is perfect; please buy it, someone, so I can stop thinking and debating if I should pursue the thing. Before getting into the main watches, I'd lik...