Hodinkee
Introducing: Grand Seiko Releases Its Best Spring Drive Diver Yet (Live Pics & Pricing)
Caliber 9RA5, high-intensity titanium, and the all-important textured "Black Stream" dial.
611 articles · 65 videos found · page 16 of 23
Hodinkee
Caliber 9RA5, high-intensity titanium, and the all-important textured "Black Stream" dial.
Quill & Pad
As with the best of traditions, Jaeger-LeCoultre perpetuates the iconic Atmos regardless of consideration for trends. And in 2022, JLC introduces two new models, the Atmos Infinite and the most complicated Atmos to date, the Atmos Hybris Mechanica Caliber 590 (Tellurium).
Revolution
Jaeger-LeCoultre brings a broad range of novelties to Watches & Wonders 2022, including the Polaris Perpetual Calendar and Master Grande Tradition Caliber 948.
SJX Watches
Not long after Citizen unveiled the Caliber 0200 in early 2021, it followed up with an affordable alternative, the Series 8 870. Resembling its bigger brother with an integrated bracelet, the Series 8 outperforms in its price segment. And just as Citizen unveils a limited edition Caliber 0200 in shades of grey, it is also taking the covers off the Series 8 870 First Anniversary Limited Edition, which features an all-black case matched with a carbon-composite dial. Initial thoughts While the standard 870 has excellent fit and finishing considering the price, it is available with just two dial options – black or silver – that are pretty plain, especially when bold textures or colours are all the rage. The new 870 caters to current fashions, but still remains low-key in a manner that’s typical of Citizen’s higher-end watches. With its cleaner look, the all-black case is an improvement from the two-tone standard model, while the carbon composite dial adds a degree of interest that is only obvious up close. It’s also an unusual take on the patterned dial, which is typically stamped. Unlike the standard model, this has a see-through back. The movement has been made a little more interesting with a gilded rotor, which stands out even more than usual as the case is entirely black. In fact, the gilded rotor is the sole bit of colour on the watch, but one that will only be known to the owner. Arguably the only shortcoming of the new 870 is the lack of a bracelet. Th...
Hodinkee
A mid-tier complication, with a high caliber feel.
Quill & Pad
Twenty-five years – a quarter of a century – is a long time. But it’s not that long for a watch manufacturer. In 1996, Chopard's co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele proudly introduced Caliber 1.96 to the world, his brand's very first in-house movement. Here Martin Green highlights a few of his favorites from the 25-year-old L.U.C collection.
Revolution
The Nomos Tangente neomatik 39 platinum gray is a refined dress watch with an extra slim profile thanks to the in-house manufacture caliber DUW 3001 movement.
Deployant
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak "Jumbo" Extra-Thin is possibly the grail watch for many stainless steel sports watch collectors. In terms of execution, nothing has changed, and if any, it has only gotten better. The new in-house movement is potentially a significant improvement for stability, performance and accuracy. That said, the discontinuation of the older 15202ST with the caliber 2121 has only made the older model much more collectible. The watch retails at USD$33,200, but is hard if not impossible to find at MSRP.
Long available only to the Japanese domestic market, Citizen’s top-of-the-line quartz watches have been slowly making their way into foreign countries in recent years (although last year’s high-end mechanical Caliber 0200 was launched internationally). The latest high-end quartz model, however, is being launched globally. The Citizen Iconic Nature Collection is a quartet of lightweight titanium watches featuring dials made of traditional, translucent Japanese paper dyed in vivid, natural colours. But the mechanics are cutting edge in contrast – a solar-powered quartz movement accurate to within five seconds a year. Initial thoughts Citizen’s ultra-accurate quartz watches are largely unknown outside of Japan, but that is gradually changing with the global rollout of new models, which are crucially dressed in eye-catching colours instead of the muted dials historically found on these watches. Citizen has used washi for dials on The Citizen before, but usually in a low-key white. The new Iconic Nature quartet calls to mind high-end quartz watches from Citizen’s Japanese rival, though Citizen’s offering edges ahead, at least on paper. The solar-powered A060 inside the Iconic Nature is accurate to +/- 5 seconds per year, while the Grand Seiko 9F movement is rated to +/- 10 seconds per year. And the practicality of the A060 is boosted by a perpetual calendar as well as an “on-demand” power reserve indicator. The price tag of US$3,500 is might seem high for an...
Revolution
The latest collaboration between Hublot and Arturo Fuente cigar company pays tribute to Carlos A. Fuente with a Big Bang Ceramic limited edition fitted with Unico manufacture caliber.
Deployant
Greubel Forsey adds the new Balancier S2, to their lineup, featuring a more contemporary aesthetic with a new case, new finishing but with the same caliber.
Hodinkee
Now updated with the in-house 3285 caliber.
Hodinkee
An interview with Crown & Caliber's Mark Hackman.
SJX Watches
Historically best known for ultra-advanced quartz and solar-powered watches – including the most accurate watch ever – Citizen has been on a tear recently with good, old-fashioned mechanical watches. The Japanese watchmaker started the year the high-end with The Citizen Caliber 0200, and then moved onto something more accessible but still sporting an integrated bracelet. More recently it took the covers off the Promaster Mechanical Diver 200 m ref. NB6004-08E. Oversized and aggressively styled, the new Promaster is eminently affordable – retail is about US$1,000 – but kitted out with impressive features, including a hardened case as well as a magnetism-resistant in-house movement, which makes it excellent value. (And it has a cool, glow-in-the-dark buckle.) Initial thoughts In my early days as a watch enthusiast, I had a soft spot for Seiko dive watches, because they were diverse in style and budget friendly. Citizen, on the other hand, didn’t feature as much, because it only offered one or two notable mechanical dive watches as the company largely focused on solar-powered watches (and still does). But Citizen is expanding its repertoire at a measured pace, but making tremendous progress. The Promaster Mechanical Diver 200 m is a single model, but offered in several variants (though availability of each version varies throughout the world). Citizen lent me the base model – brushed titanium with a black dial – for a few days. On paper, the watch is high s...
Hodinkee
Tucked behind a common chronograph caliber, you'll find something very special.
The fourth timepiece to house the new Hi-Beat caliber 9SA5 is also a pretty-in-platinum showcase for the new Series 9 design.
Hodinkee
It's an honor to welcome the entire Crown & Caliber family into our community.
Deployant
De Bethune releases its 29th in-house caliber with a combination of traditional watchmaking with state of the art technology. The new DB25GMT Starry Varius.
Time+Tide
The Oristas out there eagerly anticipate the annual Oris Hölstein Edition, and the Big Crown is a beloved staple of the range. Recent additions have been strong with the new Caliber 400 making its Aquis debut, and the Big Crown cherry-candy delight of Fratello’s bronze-cased limited edition here. Despite the distinctive looks of the short-lugged … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The new Oris Hölstein Edition is a cool grey vision of a Big Crown future appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Unveiled alongside the flagship The Citizen Caliber 0200, the Series 8 is a line of affordable, integrated-bracelet sports watches equipped with slim automatic movements that have increased magnetism resistance. The Series 8 is made up of three sub-collections: the 870, 830, and 831. All are similar, but have different case and dial constructions, as well as different movements, but are all accessibly priced affordable, starting at $1,200 for the 831 and rising to US$2,000 for the 870. Initial thoughts The Series 8 is essentially a luxury-sports watch done accessibly – the case is angular and faceted, with both brushed and polished surfaces finishes, while the bracelet is integrated. While the styling brings to mind several other well-known watch designs, the Series 8 watches are not outright copies, which is a good thing, especially at this price range where originality harder to find. The 870 with its two-piece bezel The 830 with its three-layer dial of mother of pearl under a metal lattice Though all three models are slightly different, they are almost identical in size at 40 mm wide and a relatively thin 10-12 mm high. That’s a good size that large enough but not so big that the watch feels chunky, which is likely for this type of design beyond a certain size. The 870 with its two-colour bezel seems the most appealing of the trio, with both its case and bracelet being more streamlined. Both the 830 and 831 have the same case that’s slightly octagonal, which m...
Deployant
We got up-close and hands-on with the new AP Royal Oak Offshore Diver, now in three dial options, a new caliber 4308, and an interchangeable strap system.
Time+Tide
Audemars Piguet is coming in hot for 2021, and AP is not pulling any punches. It is clear the plan is to usher in a new era of timepieces, and in particular the Audemars Piguet 2021 Royal Oak Offshore collection is home to two brand new innovations: an all new in-house caliber and the first-ever … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Audemars Piguet 2021 Royal Oak Offshore 42mm Collection with a new movement and interchangeable strap system appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
Grand Seiko brings their ground breaking caliber 9SA5 to two more watches with superb dials within the Heritage Collection Series 9: SLGH005 & SLGH007
Time+Tide
When a watch enthusiast approaches a timepiece, they usually ask about specifications like case diameter or movement caliber first. Most people, however, will first want to know the price. It can prove a bit of a shock that such a small object can have such a high price tag. It is no secret that luxury … ContinuedThe post Here’s why a Patek Philippe can take six (or more) years to make – a timeline appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
In spite of some not inconsiderable distractions, there were some pretty decent watches released in 2020. Quite a few of them actually. Omega relaunched their serially produced caliber 321, Bulgari executed the Octo Finissimo in steel, Grand Seiko launched an entirely new escapement in their SLGH002 and DOXA brought their most iconic design into the … ContinuedThe post Nick’s 3 favourite watches of 2020, including Cartier, Seiko and Hamilton appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: This year at Hublot has focused heavily on celebrating the 40th anniversary of the brand, but there was another important new chapter in the history book of the masters of fusion. The in-house Meca-10 movement, a caliber that has been restricted to the classically round Big Bang case, was set free into the … ContinuedThe post The gold and the beautiful: the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Meca-10 King Gold appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
In praise of the peripherally wound Caliber 350.
Quill & Pad
When Piaget introduced the manual wind Caliber 9P at the 1957 Basel Fair, at only 2 mm in height, it was considered an impossibility. Three years later, in 1960, Piaget stunned the watch world once again with Caliber 12P, an automatic movement that broke world records for its svelteness. What does that have to do with a vintage watch Martin Green saw? Find out here.
Grand Seiko's new Hi-Beat caliber 9SA5, in steel for the first time.
SJX Watches
Grand Seiko has progressively introduced a diverse line up of watches to mark its 60th anniversary, ranging from a remake of the vintage 3180 to the heavily jewelled 8 Days to the T0 Constant Force Tourbillon, while also opening the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi production facility. Now the brand has finally reached the last of it anniversary watches with the Grand Seiko 60th Anniversary Caliber 9SA5 Hi-Beat 36000 80 Hours SLGH003. Although the 60th anniversary watches are numerous, the most significant was the Hi-Beat 80 Hours SLGH002, which was powered by the newly-developed 9SA5, the first of a new generation of movements that will underpin the Grand Seiko collection. The SLGH002 was available only in 18k yellow gold and correspondingly pricey, but now the movement is available in the all-steel SLGH003. Initial thoughts From the perspective of being a more affordable version of the yellow-gold SLGH002, the SLGH003 is appealing. It’s still an expensive watch – the retail price is US$9,700 – but a lot less than the US$43,000 of the gold model. But from the perspective of it being one of several anniversary editions, many of which share the same dial colour, it is less appealing. That is especially so given that the 9SA5 movement will inevitably be made available in regular-production models that will probably cost a bit less. So if the colour and design is a big draw, then the SLGH003 is a buy. If not, just wait for the next one. Anniversary livery The SLGH003 h...
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