Hodinkee
Introducing: Baltic's Dive Watch Gets A Facelift With The Aquascaphe MK2
The brand's ever-popular retro-inspired diver has been updated, and the new design spans two attractive sizes.
Results for Swatch POP
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Hodinkee
Time+Tide
Baltic unveil the Aquascaphe Mk2, a more refined take on their incredibly popular dive watch
Baltic has updated its now-iconic dive watch after 7 years of production, offering 37mm or 39.5mm diameters plus other great improvements.The post Baltic unveil the Aquascaphe Mk2, a more refined take on their incredibly popular dive watch appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Teddy Baldassarre
Watch Bezels: Every Type Explained
If you’re new to your appreciation of fine watches, you have undoubtedly read a lot of references to and heard a lot of opinions about watches’ bezels. It is somewhat of an esoteric term but it describes something very simple and essential. The bezel is the front part of the case (often but not always ring-shaped) that frames the dial and secures the crystal. Bezels can be made of the same material as the case middle and/or the caseback, but can also be made of a different material. Here we run down the various types of watch bezels you’re likely to encounter. Polygons and Exposed Screws Watch cases, of course, are not uniformly round, which means that bezels, the front-facing parts of those cases, can also be found in a variety of shapes - sharply squared or rectangular, like the Cartier Tank and Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso (above); softy cushion-shaped, like the Panerai Luminor and Vacheron Constantin Historiques American 1921; oval-shaped, like the Breguet Reine de Naples and other luxury ladies’ models; tonneau (“barrel”-shaped), like the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang and many Richard Mille models; and a host of others that combine elements of these and other polygonal shapes. The shape that has proven to be the most popular and influential is the octagon: eight-sided bezels have proliferated ever since Audemars Piguet launched the Royal Oak (above) in 1972, and watchmakers have also dabbled in other unconventional shapes: the sharply faceted bezel of the Zeni...
Time+Tide
Norqain just dropped the perfect autumn watch: the panda-dialled, limited edition Freedom 60 43mm Off-White
Norqain expands its popular Freedom 60 Chrono range to include a subtle off-white panda dial limited edition featuring red gold accents.The post Norqain just dropped the perfect autumn watch: the panda-dialled, limited edition Freedom 60 43mm Off-White appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
The Rock Watch is Back, and We Smell What Tissot is Cooking
Stone dials, as we’re all aware, have been having a moment over these last couple of years. Time, I suppose, will tell if the prevalence of stone dials across more affordable price ranges is a trend, or just a new part of the watch landscape that we’ll all just accept and live with, like green dials, or carbon cases. With the renewed popularity of this inherently 1970s/80s inspired design cue, it was really only a matter of time before we saw the return of a watch that takes the use of stone to a different level entirely. The Tissot Rock Watch, an artifact of the 1980s if ever there was one, is back, albeit in a limited edition that might be tough to acquire depending on your geography (more on that in a bit). First, a little background on the Rock Watch. Launched in 1985, Tissot claims that the Rock Watch was the first ever watch with a case and dial made entirely from granite procured from the Swiss Alps. I’ll admit here that I haven’t done a ton of scholarly research on the topic, but I’m willing to take Tissot at face value here simply because granite is a particularly difficult material to work with, requiring highly specific machines and tooling. It’s a watch that doesn’t make a ton of practical sense from a production standpoint, but naturally was quite popular in the mid 80s and eventually spawned an entire collection for Tissot that featured a huge variety of exotic stones. Original Rock Watches from the 1980s The new version of the Rock Watch rema...
Video
Reviewing the most hyped affordable watch brands in 2026
Reviewing the most hyped affordable watch brands in 2026
Hodinkee
Watch Spotting: Ed Sheeran Wears A Unique IWC Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar With A Pink Dial For The Launch Of His Album "PLAY"
Punchy pink product pops, punctuating performer's "Play" premiere.
Teddy Baldassarre
What is a GMT Watch?
GMT watches, and other types of watches with useful complications for travelers, are enjoying a surge of popularity these days, with watchmakers large and small stepping up to produce travel watches with both user-friendly mechanics and attractive design, at a variety of price points. Yet, if you’re new to the watch game, you still might be a bit curious about what is a GMT watch, how to read and set them, and how one style differs from another. In this feature, we attempt to address all the pertinent questions you may want answered before purchasing a GMT or any style of watch with the ability to show multiple time zones. What is a GMT watch? GMT is the abbreviation for “Greenwich Mean Time,” the system of world timekeeping based on the calculation of mean solar time from the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. Established in 1884 at the International Meridian Conference, the Prime Meridian was conceived as a straight line running from the North Pole to the South Pole directly through Greenwich, serving as the point of zero degrees longitude from which 24 separate time zones divide the Earth: the Eastern Time Zone of the United States, for example, is designated as GMT -5 (i.e., five hours west of Greenwich, which is GMT 0). A GMT watch is essentially a timekeeper designed in that same utilitarian spirit, allowing its wearer to read the time in at least two time zones simultaneously. Many such watches actually use the initials “GMT” in their model names, whi...
Teddy Baldassarre
What is a Chronograph Watch?
Chronograph watches are among the most popular styles of timepieces: iconic models like the Rolex Daytona, Omega Speedmaster, TAG Heuer Carrera, and Breitling Navitimer, for example, have become some of the most famous and collectible watches in the modern era and have contributed to the enduring appeal of the chronograph to generations of enthusiasts. If you're new to the watch game, however, you might be wondering not only what all the buzz is about but what these watches actually do that makes them so special. Read on for a comprehensive primer on chronograph watches, from their earliest ancestors to the most ambitious, avant-garde timekeeping technology available in chronographs today. Chronograph vs. Chronometer As I explore in depth in our guide to chronometers, one of the first hurdles to clear for newcomers to watch appreciation is the clarification of two very common horological categories: Chronometer and Chronograph. Quite simply, a chronometer (from the Greek chronos, meaning time, and meter, meaning measure) is any watch or clock that keeps reliably accurate time, usually as determined by an outside independent testing agency, whereas a chronograph (from chronos and graph, i.e., to “write time”) is any watch or clock with the ability to track and record intervals of time, aka a stopwatch. The terms are not interchangeable but they are also not mutually exclusive: a watch equipped with chronograph functions can also be a chronometer if it has met a s...
Worn & Wound
The Power of Community: Expanding My Watch Family at the Brew Summer Popup
Whether you’re a collector or working in the watch industry, the experience is never just about the watches themselves – it’s about the people you meet along the way and finding a sense of community. Not to sound dramatic, but when you do, it changes everything. There are so many subsets of the watch world, and discovering the people that align with you to nerd out, swap stories, and take wrist shots is what makes this hobby and this work fulfilling and, above all, fun. First off, let’s get a little personal: a lot of people both within the industry and the community may not know I’ve been working in the watch sphere for 13 years. In that time, I’ve experienced firsthand that exclusivity is an inherent and at times more problematic part of horology and that there can be barriers to feeling a part of this incredible watch world, particularly as a woman. For me, getting here – having opportunities for my voice to be heard on influential platforms like Worn & Wound that are vital to this industry and collector community – has been a slow burn. It took time for me to carve out my place in watches as a woman, as a millennial, and as a freelancer. Early on, there were a few people who became the foundation of my watch community – people who didn’t care to measure my value by the number of outlets where you could find my byline or the number of watches in my personal collection. They saw my genuine curiosity and infatuation with timepieces and my abiliti...
Worn & Wound
Affordable Excellence: How High End Watch Brands are Creating Accessible Options for the Enthusiast
It is a global phenomenon: some of the most exclusive independent watch brands have in the last five years created more accessible and more affordable sister brands or collections. These are undoubtedly linked to the main brand thanks to similar design features and a similar spirit. Just look at MB&F; and its M.A.D.Editions in Switzerland, Grönefeld and Grøne in the Netherlands, and Hajime Asaoka with Kurono Tokyo. Their normal offering is in the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, and now their sister brands offer watches for a few thousand – and you don’t have to wait for years to get a watch. Why are they doing this? What effect does it have on the general perception of the main brand? What are the collectors’ reactions to the more accessible offerings? Occasionally, it goes in the other direction. The Finnish brand Leijona’s Heritage 1907 Collection punches above its weight. It shows that a quartz based, mass market brand can make Swiss Made mechanicals together with a legend like Kari Voutilainen. We’ll get back to that. Just as we’ll get to Swatch’s recent collaborations with its fancier siblings within the Swatch Group. This phenomenon is all but new. Just look at Rolex and Tudor, the latter registered in 1926. “It was exactly the same as what we see today. Rolex founder (Hans) Wilsdorf wanted to offer high-quality watches at more affordable prices,” said watch expert Gianfranco Ritschel. Another example, half a century removed, is Cartie...
Video
What Watch Was I Wearing In My First EVER Urban Gentry YouTube Video?
Recently I shared an unboxing of my latest acquisition (linked in this video)—a super cool vintage Hamilton Khaki that few know or talk about, but has an insanely cool real world British military and espionage histo...
Monochrome
First Look – The Revival of the Keyring Watch with the Volan Type One
Dutch watch enthusiast, collector and entrepreneur Diederik van Golen is back at it again, reviving a fun historical piece of watchmaking with his newly founded brand, Volan Watches. Inspired by his love for cars, yachting and watches, the goal is to bring back the Keyring Watch, an item that was very popular in the 1950s […]
Worn & Wound
Introducing the Ancestra, a New Dress Watch From Atelier Wen
Since 2022, you could be forgiven for thinking of Atelier Wen as “the Perception company.” The brand didn’t start with their popular integrated bracelet sports watch, but as the demand for these types of watches grew, Atelier Wen has done their best to keep the Perception at the forefront of the conversation. They’ve done this through small runs of new dial colors and limited editions with various partners that allow them to play not just with color but the guilloche work that is the Perception’s calling card. But it was never Atelier Wen’s goal to make the Perception their own version of the Royal Oak, a watch that completely defines the brand to the point that other collections are barely playing second fiddle. The conceit of the brand has always been to celebrate traditional craft techniques through the lens of Chinese culture. Look at their first release, the porcelain dialed Odyssey, alongside the Perception and you begin to see the brand’s vision more clearly. Now, a new collection has been unveiled, that will hopefully continue to broaden the brand’s appeal. The Ancestra is a rather ambitious dress watch that’s quite complex in its design, but in a somewhat under the radar way. The centerpiece of the watch is the 925 silver dial which incorporates two traditional artistic crafts: hand hammering and grand feu enamel. The dial is produced by Kong Lingjun, a master Chinese enameler. After the dial is hammered, Lingjun gets to work on the enamel pr...
Teddy Baldassarre
Top 10 Watch Brands In India
Before I get into the top 10 watch brands in India, it’s worth talking about the Indian watch market overall. This is because even in the face of some regional slowdown, India has become one of the fastest growing markets for Swiss watch exports with an astounding 25% increase in 2025, according to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry. Brands like Rado, Longines, and Montblanc are as popular as ever in India, but what about the state of watchmaking in India? Well, it’s a bit of a mixed bag, and there are a few things we need to understand before getting into the my selections for the top 10 watch brands in India. First, India is not yet at the level of having a watchmaking infrastructure like that of China. The basic history of Indian watchmaking begins with the nationalized HMT in the 1960s and '70s, but the quartz revolution had a big, negative impact on mechanical watchmaking in the country. I’d say 2015 marked a change in the landscape of Indian watches, when microbrands for enthusiasts began to pick up in popularity. Again, while the infrastructure to manufacture movement components and parts in India is still not there, the passion for history and design has propelled some brands as hometown enthusiast darlings. I spent quite a bit of time researching this topic, and I do want to shout out YouTubers WatchgyanHindi and Watch and More India who are making some compelling Hindi content for the South Asian watch enthusiast community. In this list of the ...
Worn & Wound
Casio Has a (Mini) MoonSwatch Moment with their Ring Watch
It’s counterintuitive, but one of the things I appreciate most about working in the watch industry is being reminded of my blind spots. The narrative is often that this community is small and tightly focused, and on some level that’s true, but I think more broadly speaking, the watch world is actually enormous, and there are large enthusiast communities we’ve barely tapped into. That became incredibly clear over the course of Windup weekend in Chicago as one of the most talked about watches of the show was not actually one that can be worn on the wrist. The Casio Ring Watch was not only the most diminutive timepiece of the weekend, but one of the toughest tickets at the event. I was aware that these existed prior to Windup but I had no idea they were so sought after and collectible. A peek behind the curtain: as an authorized retailer for Casio, the Windup Watch Shop sells Casio and Casio G-SHOCK watches at the fair, so over the course of the weekend, through Slack messages, daily team meetings with my Shop colleagues, and conversations over quickly devoured lunches before heading back out to the show floor, I was able to get a sense of the demand for these things. Each day’s allotment essentially sold out in the fair’s early hours, and those who were able to grab one felt they walked away with the prize of the show. The CRW-001 Casio Ring Watch has a retail price of $120, but a quick Google search reveals owners are asking anywhere from $160 to $200 for th...
Teddy Baldassarre
Paul Newman Rolex Daytona: The World's Most Valuable Watch
If you are into watches and watch collecting, you have heard of the “Paul Newman Rolex,” have heard of it spoken of with reverence and awe, and have perhaps even longed to possess or at least see one yourself. But how did this watch - a very specific version of the Rolex Daytona - become the celebrity watch of all celebrity watches, as well as the né plus ultra representing the absolute highest echelon of watch connoisseurship? It’s a story of watch marketing savvy and market serendipity that spans the globe from Geneva to Daytona, from Cleveland to Hollywood. Rolex was riding a hot streak of successes in the 1950s and early ‘60s. The Swiss company had already introduced to the market the definitive luxury divers’ watch, the Submariner; the quintessential luxury travel watch, the GMT-Master; and even an understated, rugged outdoor watch, the Explorer, that became a star in its one right by virtue of its role in the historic summit of Mount Everest. The one popular category that Rolex had yet to really crack was the emerging genre of motorsport-inspired wrist chronographs, an area in which brands like Heuer (today’s TAG Heuer), Longines, and Breitling had a substantial head start. Rolex boldly jumped into the fray, introducing its first “pre-Daytona” wristwatch chronograph, Ref. 6234, in 1955, and its successor, Ref. 6238, in 1962. Both were 36mm steel watches outfitted with manually wound Valjoux 72 calibers, and both had dials that read simply “Chro...
Video
Unboxing A REAL James Bond Watch + Hamilton's New Khaki King & The Ultimate 36mm Mechanical
James Bond is most famous for wearing the Rolex Submariner and the Omega Seamaster, perhaps more than all his other watches in the franchise. His creator Ian Fleming wore the equally iconic Rolex Explorer 1016, and he...
Time+Tide
What is a dive watch?
Diver's watches are arguably the most saturated and popular wristwatch category, but what really is a true, proper dive watch?The post What is a dive watch? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Monochrome
Interview – Blake Malin, CEO and Co-Founder of Worn & Wound and Windup Watch Fair, Arguably the Most Popular Watch Show in America
Worn & Wound needs no introduction in America (and around the world) as one of the best-known watch publications with headquarters in New York. It was founded in 2011 by Blake Malin (CEO), Zach Weiss (Executive Editor) and later James Helms (Chief Commercial Officer), and in addition to the publication, there’s Windup Watch Fair in […]
Worn & Wound
Brew Debuts the Metric Lite, a New Version of their Hit Watch in a Vintage Inspired Smaller Size
There’s a good deal of conversation around proper use of the terms “retro” and vintage” in many spaces-automotive, interior design, video games, etc. -and the watch world is no different. Is there a year cutoff? A need for tangible or mechanical connection to a model of the past? Brew, the ever-more-popular New York-based watch brand, shirks all those insecurities and goes straight to the “vibe check” standard. Founded in 2015 by industrial designer Jonathan Ferrer, the brand obviously doesn’t have a back catalog of “vintage” designs to pull from or reinvent, but their new Metric Lite model is aimed squarely at the “retro-vintage” renaissance that’s hitting the watch world, mostly because, well, it looks the part. Is that all it takes to make a retro-vintage watch? Let’s dive in. Brew’s self-described mission for the Metric Lite can also be found in the name; basically, they set out to create their most “compact and wearable” watch, without sacrificing utility or style. The Metric Lite comes in three variations: steel case and black dial, steel case and mother of pearl dial, and gold PVD case and black dial. All three are wrapped in cushion cases that measure in at 30mm-a mark of the vintage appeal and Brew’s proven understanding of the “everyday watch” category. Each reference additionally wears a hand-brushed flat link bracelet, which lends a sporty outline and 1970’s-type flair to the watch’s silhouette. Brew’s coffe...
Worn & Wound
The Living Art of the Aballe Horologium Spinale Silver Watch Bracelet
We are all familiar with the concept of a grail piece. That seemingly unobtainable watch that sits saved in our search history, popping up across multiple “For You Pages” because they are always listening, taunting you as a reminder of your horological shortcomings. Well, what happens when you achieve the unthinkable? What happens when you finally have that grail watch? At some point, after swiping the watch from your nightstand and mindlessly throwing it on as you do every day, you are going to find yourself in a room with someone else who has that same quest. Yes, your watch is your watch, and each scratch is yours, and the two watches may have completely different stories. However, for production pieces, the reality is that at some point, it may not feel as unique and exciting as it did back when it sat behind Gorilla Glass. Watch modification comes into play for those special circumstances to set you apart from the select crowd. That is where this story takes shape. Though, to be fair to the process, it had been in the works for a good while before that, living in the recesses of the artist’s brain. Milestone watches are very real for many people, especially in the financial sector. A signal of status and success, they can help signal trust to a new client while placing you on a tier list of your peers. Think business cards in American Psycho. For many at the higher tier, the Patek Philippe Nautilus acts as a trophy, as it did for Onchain Lifestyle creator GMon...
Quill & Pad
Crash Course In Flieger (Pilot) And B-Uhren (Navigator) Watches Covering Both Historic And Modern Examples: Pilot’s Watch Photofest!
The majority of today's numerous flieger-style watches are inspired by the now-iconic German pilot’s and navigator's watches of World War II, becoming a genre unto themselves. Bhanu Chopra flies high to take a deep dive into the long history of this popular style.
Video
Most Underappreciated Audemars Piguet Watch: The Code 11.59
A defence of the Code 11.59, the AP collection most collectors love to dismiss, with a close look at the case architecture and movements.
Teddy Baldassarre
How to Wear a Watch
Knowing how to wear a watch - to really wear a watch - is like knowing how to wear a suit, or how to choose the right necktie or cuff links, or what to pack for a beach weekend or mountain hiking retreat. It’s a skill set that would seem to be innate but, especially for many newcomers to the appreciation of watches, often comes with a set of questions - questions that many might feel are way too basic to actually ask out loud for fear of looking like a novice. In this article, we compile some of those deceptively simple questions and do our best to answer them. What wrist should I wear my watch on? In general, the vast majority of wristwatch wearers wear them on the non-dominant hand - i.e., the hand that you don’t write with, aka the one that is slightly weaker and less dexterous (something we also covered here). For most of the human population - anywhere from 85 to 90 percent, according to studies - this hand is the left hand. Wearing the watch on the non-dominant hand simply makes keeping track of the time while performing the duties of everyday life much easier. Imagine, for example, trying to write, sketch, or paint with the same hand on which you’re regularly checking the time. Or checking the time on the wrist of the same hand you’re holding a drink in, which could lead to plenty of absent-minded spills. For that matter, try to envision winding or setting your watch with your less dexterous, non-dominant hand. Wearing the watch on the left hand...
Time+Tide
The 6 best options for an integrated bracelet sports watch for less
Perhaps the most popular style of watches today, these affordable integrated bracelet watches prove you don't need to remortgage to get one.The post The 6 best options for an integrated bracelet sports watch for less appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Teddy Baldassarre
Top Luxury Watch Brands: 60 To Know In 2026
How well do you know your luxury watch brands? The timepiece industry is populated by many dozens of companies - a handful of them still independent, many others now members of a larger luxury-goods conglomerate - each with its own unique origin story, historical highlights, and technical and aesthetic brand DNA. Here we've gathered what we consider the 60 watch brands that should be on the radar of watch enthusiasts and given you a brief rundown of what makes each one special. In the interest of being informative (and transparent), we've divided them into sections: brands owned by the two major Swiss luxury groups (Swatch and Richemont), brands within the French LVMH Group, Japanese Citizen Group, and the small Swiss concern Sowind; the largest, best-known independent companies, and the leading brands among the rest of the independents. We've even added a little tidbit of trivia for each brand. TOP LUXURY WATCH BRANDS: SWATCH GROUP BLANCPAIN Blancpain was founded in 1735 by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, making it one of the oldest watch brands in existence - one of the few, in fact, that can say it’s been making watches longer than the United States has been a country. The maison offers a plethora of small and high complications in its extensive and elegant Villeret collection, named for the Swiss village where it originated before moving to the Vallee de Joux in 1983, including a so-called “complete” calendar, a signature complication but these days Blancpain ...
Teddy Baldassarre
Popular Watch Brands And Their Most Underrated Watches
In the world of watches, as with pretty much every niche of consumer goods, brands begin to become associated with the things that receive the most praise and attention. While the hyped watches in question undoubtedly earn the adoration of the masses for many reasons, whether it be their unique historical context, utility, or just plain and simple great looks, there are many other watches that get relegated to the sidelines that deserve another look. Since I personally love to root for an underdog, I wanted to take some time to shine a spotlight on some watches from the big popular watch brands that we know and love that often get lost in the shadows cast by the more popular catalog compatriots. From Rolex and Omega to Tudor and beyond, below you’ll find watches that deserve a little more love than they typically get. Rolex 1908 I’m beginning with the watch that has quite literally been relegated to the bottom of Rolex’s own website with the Rolex 1908. Given that this is the most dressy model within The Crown’s contemporary collection, I would argue that it's also the watch that flies under the radar the most. The 1908 isn’t something that you spot across the room at a crowded restaurant or at a bar and immediately clock as a Rolex watch, which is ultimately why I find it endearing. It’s something that needs to be appreciated up close and personal. The world's most popular watch brand has made recent attempts to breathe some new life into the Rolex 1908 with...
SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin’s First Chiming Sports Watch, the Overseas Grand Complication
Vacheron Constantin (VC) continues its 270th anniversary festivities with its first minute-repeating sports watch, the Overseas Grand Complication Openface. In addition to the repeater, the manually wound movement also features a perpetual calendar, tourbillon, and rear-facing power reserve indicator. All of this is housed in a titanium case rated to 30 m, which is a notable degree of water resistance for a chiming watch. This is also the first Overseas model with the “Openface” treatment, which pays homage to rock crystal dials found in vintage clocks and pocket watches with a clear sapphire dial exposing the perpetual calendar works. Image – Vacheron Constantin Initial Thoughts It’s unusual, but a chiming sports watch makes sense considering the direction of consumer preferences for complications. That said, the minute repeater has been slow to make its way into sports watches, despite enjoying renewed popularity for the past few decades, due to the challenges of waterproofing the charging slide and preserving sound quality. This has created a perception of water resistance and sound being mutually exclusive, which has only recently been challenged. Audemars Piguet was an early pioneer with water-resistant repeaters, and now Vacheron Constantin has entered the fray with a water-resistant minute-repeating integrated-bracelet sports watch of its own. While 30 m of water resistance is low compared to other models in the Overseas collection, it’s significant for a ...
Video
Where Watch Dealers Actually Buy Rolex
If you’re buying a Rolex or another luxury watch, preowned, there’s a good chance you’re overpaying—and it’s not your fault.