PopularRolex Omega Patek Philippe Audemars Piguet Tudor Grand Seiko Cartier Seiko IWC TAG Heuer Breitling Jaeger-LeCoultre A. Lange & Sohne Zenith

Results for Parmigiani Tonda PF

705 articles · 45 videos found · page 19 of 25

View Parmigiani Fleurier brand page

Hands-On With The Sternglas Hamburg Chrono Regatta And Hamburg Edition Hafen

Hands-On With The Sternglas Hamburg Chrono Regatta And Hamburg Edition Hafen

As I become more familiar with the Sternglas brand, I realize I’m not as tuned in as I thought. On the face of it, this Hamburg-based watch brand embraces minimalism in its designs, albeit with considered bursts of color. The popular Hamburg line of watches, named after the brand’s home city, is a typical example. […] Visit Hands-On With The Sternglas Hamburg Chrono Regatta And Hamburg Edition Hafen to read the full article.

Introducing the B/1, the Debut Watch from Toledano & Chan

Cartier s May 9, 2024

Introducing the B/1, the Debut Watch from Toledano & Chan

A long lived pet peeve of mine in the watch industry is people referring to watches as “Brutalist” without having a clue about what the term really means. How, I always wonder, can a brand refer to their watch as being inspired by Brutalist architecture without it even being made of concrete? Well, the debut watch from Toledano & Chan is properly Brutalist in a very specific way, and truly lives up to its inspiration. And while the watch itself might not be made of concrete, the box is (really), and as someone who identifies Boston City Hall as one of his favorite buildings, that scores major points in my book. The B/1 is the result of a collaboration between watch designer Alfred Chan and artist, watch collector, entrepreneur, and budding TikTok personality Phil Toledano. You may remember Phil from his appearance on the Worn & Wound podcast, and if you’ve spent any time looking at watches on Instagram or TikTok, you’ve likely seen him unboxing new (but actually old) Pateks, Cartiers, and Piagets with his pal Mike Nouveau. Phil (who goes my Mr. Enthusiast on social media) has long been one of my favorite collectors for his eccentric and adventurous taste, fully embracing the strangest and rarest designs by the aforementioned brands and many others. If the industry as a whole is currently moving toward smaller watches, shaped cases, stone dials, and the avant-garde, let it be said that Phil got there first. He’s been interested in this stuff for years, and bangi...

[VIDEO] Hands-On with Sinn’s New Releases at Time to Watches

Sinn s New Releases May 9, 2024

[VIDEO] Hands-On with Sinn’s New Releases at Time to Watches

The Time to Watches show in Geneva, which runs at the same as Watches & Wonders but is not affiliated with that show in any way, offers a very different experience than what we found in Palexpo. It’s smaller, for sure, but also much more easygoing, less hectic, and calmer in every way. Much of that comes down to the brands that exhibit at Time to Watches, which tend to be small, enthusiast focused, and largely more affordable than the high end luxury brands on the other side of town. The show, in fact, is so relaxed that meetings are barely required. On the day we attended, you could simply walk up to a booth at pretty much anytime, sit down, and talk about the watches on display. But we did carve out time to talk to some of the brands that are squarely in our wheelhouse at Time to Watches, and the first on the docket was Sinn. As accessible as Sinn is, relatively speaking, we don’t often have the chance to go hands-on with their newest releases fresh out of the gate, so we were excited to be able to spend some time with the new HYDRO U50 dive watches and their latest aviation inspired chronograph, the 103 St Ty Hd. In these videos, Zach Weiss takes us through the new HYDRO U50, a watch that many Sinn fans have been anticipating for some time. These oil filled watches combine the practicality of Sinn’s U50 diver with the over-the-top engineering of legendary tool watches like the EZM2 and provide incredible legibility. We also have Zach Kazan on the new 103 St Ty...

10 Watches Under $500 – and Some Under $200 – That I Love

10 Watches Under $500 – and Some Under $200 – That I Love

While we tend to focus on the upper end of the watch market on Quill & Pad, the vast majority of collectors have much more limited disposable income to satiate their desires. However, as American college student and founder of the Campus Watch Chronicle blog, Sam Loiterstein explains here, there are a plethora of great options available for less than $250. Here are 10 of his favorites.

First Look – The new MB&F; HM8 Mark 2 Blue Edition

MB&F; Apr 25, 2024

First Look – The new MB&F; HM8 Mark 2 Blue Edition

Since cogheads and petrolheads tend to share similar passions, it won’t surprise our readers that one of Max Büsser’s childhood dreams was to become a car designer. Although he ended up designing watches, his car-fuelled fantasies made themselves felt in his creations. One of his early muses was the Amida Digitrend watch, a 1976 model […]

Recap – The Best Coloured Watches of Watches & Wonders 2024 and The Geneva Week

Recap – The Best Coloured Watches of Watches & Wonders 2024 and The Geneva Week

While colours have always been part of brands’ collections, they have long been used mostly for the dials – and sometimes, but not always, for the straps… We’ve seen trends for blue or green dials in recent years, as well as a continuous love for salmon-toned watches and even purple making a discreet appearance. But […]

Christopher Ward Alpina Apr 14, 2024

A Week in Watches Ep.78 – Watches & Wonder 2024

This week’s episode of A Week in Watches is coming straight from Geneva! Yes, it’s episode 78, recorded at and during Watches & Wonders 2024, right on the floor of the Palexpo. Zach Weiss and Zach Kazan co-host, go over the watches and some of the wonders they experienced from brands such as Tudor, Grand Seiko, Rolex, and more. Be sure to stay tuned to the end for some outtakes! Episode 78 of A Week in Watches is brought to you by Windup Watch Fair San Francisco. In under 2 weeks, please join us for an incredible showcase of watchmaking and more at Fort Mason – Gateway Pavilion on San Francisco’s Pier 2. This year’s fair is in a new venue that boasts two expansive floors that will set the stage for over 60 presenting brands, including Marathon, Nivada Grenchen, Zodiac, and more. In addition to the main event, there will be live podcast recordings, food trucks, bars, and special giveaways. We will also be holding live panels with our lead sponsors, Oris, Fortis, Christopher Ward, Alpina, and Anordain, as well as a sponsored photo walk with Camera West and a group bike ride sponsored by The Radavist. Things kick off on Friday, May 3, and wrap up on Sunday, May 5. Hours are 12PM – 6PM on Friday and Saturday, and 12PM – 5PM on Sunday. Windup Watch Fair The post A Week in Watches Ep.78 – Watches & Wonder 2024 appeared first on Worn & Wound.

Introducing: The Hermès Cut - Arriving Fashionably Late To The Integrated-Bracelet Party

Hermes Apr 11, 2024

Introducing: The Hermès Cut - Arriving Fashionably Late To The Integrated-Bracelet Party

It’s very difficult to come up with an original watch design these days. Almost everything has been done by now…or so we tend to think. But every once in a while, we come across a new watch that proves the opposite. The new Hermès Cut is exactly one of those watches. It has a very […] Visit Introducing: The Hermès Cut - Arriving Fashionably Late To The Integrated-Bracelet Party to read the full article.

Introducing – The New Rolex Day-Date 40 in Everose Gold with a Slate Ombré Dial

Rolex Day-Date 40 Apr 9, 2024

Introducing – The New Rolex Day-Date 40 in Everose Gold with a Slate Ombré Dial

Rolex is broadening its higher-end collection with the addition to the Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 40 collection of an ombré slate dial within the line-up (understand a gradient toned dial). Notably, Rolex ombré dials were previously exclusive to the Day-Date 36. This new reference introduces another first: faceted, deconstructed Roman numerals and index hour markers in […]

Buying Guide – Bored With Plain Dials? Take A Look At Some Of The Coolest Alternatives!

Buying Guide – Bored With Plain Dials? Take A Look At Some Of The Coolest Alternatives!

Watchmaking is often touted to be about creativity and expressiveness, but when it comes to dials, brands tend to be a touch conservative. Simple silver, black or blue, however beautifully crafted they are, can be a bit, well, plain. And to some perhaps even boring. Luckily there are brands who dare to break those boundaries […]

Introducing: The Chronoswiss Strike Two Golden Gear And H2O

Chronoswiss Mar 26, 2024

Introducing: The Chronoswiss Strike Two Golden Gear And H2O

With Watches and Wonders 2024 just around the corner, it’s time to let the releases begin! Today, we have news of two new Chronoswiss watches. The Strike Two Golden Gear and the Strike Two H2O are meant to pave a new direction for the brand. There’s no denying these are Chronoswiss watches, but look closely, […] Visit Introducing: The Chronoswiss Strike Two Golden Gear And H2O to read the full article.

Buying Guide – Five Stainless Steel Watches on Matching Bracelets Below 3k

Buying Guide – Five Stainless Steel Watches on Matching Bracelets Below 3k

Whenever we compile lists for our weekly Buying Guide, we tend to look at common denominators between watches. One such element can be colour, material, a complication or even a price point. As suggested by one of our readers, we are now looking at sporty-chic watches on stainless steel bracelets priced under EUR 3,000. After […]

Hands-On: Zenith’s New Chronomaster Sport and Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar References

Zenith s New Chronomaster Sport Feb 26, 2024

Hands-On: Zenith’s New Chronomaster Sport and Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar References

Earlier this month, Zenith introduced their first new watches of the year at LVMH Watch Week. The new releases fill out their core Chronomaster Sport and Chronomaster Original lines with new colorways and, for the Original, a classic complication reintroduced for the first time in a modern context. Kat Shoulders and Zach Kazan got to spend some time with the new watches recently, and their thoughts, and Kat’s photos, are below. Stay tuned for a more detailed look at the new titanium version of the Chronomaster Sport coming soon. Kat Shoulders When the Zenith Chronomaster Sport came out a few years ago, it caused quite the stir in the watch community. I always felt the watch was under-appreciated with its constant comparisons to the Daytona. What Zenith has done with the technology of the El Primero movement, renowned for its accuracy and high frequency, is amazing and it’s a shame this chronograph gets so often overlooked. It was no surprise that when this year’s new Zenith releases came out, I was immediately drawn to the Chronomaster Sport series. While there aren’t any technical changes (not that they were needed), the new case materials were pleasant updates that have swayed me to consider picking one up. The titanium version is absolutely stellar and as many of you know, I’m not the biggest fan of the material, so that should go to tell you how cool this watch really is. The matte finishing is honestly the perfect choice for this sporty chronograph and I...

Introducing – Extreme Minimalism… The New H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Perpetual Calendar Concept Smoked Salmon

H. Moser & Cie Streamliner Perpetual Feb 21, 2024

Introducing – Extreme Minimalism… The New H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Perpetual Calendar Concept Smoked Salmon

H. Moser & Cie. has developed its own interpretation of terms bandied around in the watch industry. Concept watches, in the terminology of most brands, are usually spectacular one-off vehicles to flaunt a new development, test the waters, and then decide if a tuned-down version makes it into serial production. At Moser, concept watches can […]

Introducing – The Citizen Mechanical Caliber 0210, now with Date and Soon Available in Europe

Citizen Mechanical Caliber 0210 now Feb 15, 2024

Introducing – The Citizen Mechanical Caliber 0210, now with Date and Soon Available in Europe

First presented in 2021, The Citizen Mechanical Caliber 0200 truly impressed us, especially after we had the chance to spend time with it on the wrist. Coming from a brand that we tend to associate with accessible mechanical and solar-powered watches, this high-end, traditional mechanical watch with an integrated bracelet made quite an impact. Developed […]

Citizen Promaster Aqualand JP2007-09W – Feb 12, 2024

The Citizen Promaster Aqualand JP2007-09W – Available Now at the Windup Watch Shop

The Citizen Promaster Aqualand JP2007-09W is now available in the Worn & Wound Shop Twenty meters down, I slowed my descent by squirting a puff of air into my buoyancy wing. I hovered just under the overhanging edge of the massive wreck. In contrast to the bright tropical sun streaming down from far above, the maw inside this upturned ship was in deep shadow. To venture inside was to go from day to night, and despite years of exploring shipwrecks, it always gave me pause to penetrate the bowels of one. There’s nothing particularly dangerous about the Hilma Hooker, and indeed it sees hundreds of divers a year, due to its proximity to shore, warm water, and relatively accessible depth. The wreck rests at the bottom of a lush coral reef, hard on the sand at just over 30 meters. Most divers are content to kick along its hull, snap some hero shots near the propeller, and marvel at the huge tarpon and barracuda that spend the daylight hours hovering in the shadows. But somehow, the yawning darkness inside beckons-hollowed-out cargo holds and engine room, long empty compartments that once purportedly held contraband drugs before the ship was seized, abandoned, and then mysteriously sunk. I hesitated, then switched on my powerful dive torch and swam into the darkness. Truth be told, I wasn’t really penetrating the Hilma Hooker to search for sunken treasure. I’d been inside this wreck many times before, in over a dozen trips to Bonaire. I had a different, more quixotic goal...

Five Analog Quartz Watches That Prove The Snobs Wrong

Five Analog Quartz Watches That Prove The Snobs Wrong

As watch lovers, we tend to be drawn to mechanical movements. There is something mysterious about the dozens of springs, wheels, pinions, jewels, screws, and plates that conspire to unwind a mainspring and turn its stored tension into a precise display of the time. I think the allure is in the fact that it is […] Visit Five Analog Quartz Watches That Prove The Snobs Wrong to read the full article.

12 Pink-Dial and Salmon-Dial Watches from Affordable to Luxury

Teddy Baldassarre

12 Pink-Dial and Salmon-Dial Watches from Affordable to Luxury

Watches with pink dials used to be fairly rare, and confined almost exclusively to dainty timepieces aimed at jewelry-loving ladies. In recent years, however, pink tones have found their way to a wide variety of timepieces, ranging from dressy and elegant to casual and sporty - many of which have found an avid audience among male enthusiasts as well as female. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we’ve compiled a list of pink-dialed watches (along with several that qualify more as “salmon,” pink’s peach-toned, more muted cousin) in a variety of price ranges from under $1,000 up to $25,000. While many would primarily be regarded as ladies’ watches, the goal here is to spotlight timepieces with unisex appeal: every timepiece here is 34mm or larger, and almost none have a trace of jewelry. Maurice Lacroix Aikon Tide Pink Price: $750, Case Size: 40mm, Thickness: 11mm, Water Resistance: 100m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Quartz Introduced in 2022, Maurice Lacroix’s beach-ready Aikon Tide has a case constructed from a revolutionary composite material that combines ocean-recovered plastic with glass fiber. The resulting substance is twice as hard as standard plastic and five times more resistant, with the added bonus of also having a smaller carbon footprint than regular PET. This model’s pink dial bears the familiar aesthetic hallmarks of the brand’s flagship Aikon sport-luxury collection, including the distinctive “clawed” case, somewhat Royal-Oak-...

Buying Guide – Shedding the Christmas Pounds with Five Lightweight Watches

Buying Guide – Shedding the Christmas Pounds with Five Lightweight Watches

Most of us, myself included, tend to let ourselves go a little during the Christmas season and indulge in a little too much food, drinks and money-splurging. To combat that, many people have some form of New Year’s resolutions, like quitting smoking, losing a bit of weight perhaps, or just spending more time with your loved […]

Exploring WatchCharts Marketplace, a New Watch Sales Platform Backed by Historical Pricing Data

Exploring WatchCharts Marketplace, a New Watch Sales Platform Backed by Historical Pricing Data

An all too common refrain from watch collectors is that the experience of buying a watch can be something of a headache. While you might be wined and dined if you buy directly from the boutique of a high end luxury brand, the reality is that most of us are hounding forums and enthusiast marketplaces trying to score a deal. But with the open market comes a lot of uncertainty. How do you know if you’re getting a good deal? And how do you know if the person you’re chatting with is going to send you more than an empty box? The WatchCharts Overall Market Index as of 1/17/24 WatchCharts, the watch market research platform whose primary goal is to bring price transparency to watch consumers, recently launched their own buying and selling platform that seeks to alleviate some of the stress. There are a lot of buying and selling platforms for watches, so the addition of one more to the growing matrix of watch shopping options isn’t necessarily newsworthy, but the involvement of WatchCharts adds a new wrinkle to something that is so familiar to watch collectors that it’s part of the very fabric of the hobby. On the surface, WatchCharts Marketplace looks like any other buy/sell/trade platform. But under the hood, it’s leveraging WatchCharts data that collectors who use the platform will already be familiar with. “We’ve dedicated the better part of five years to collecting, analyzing, and understanding watch market pricing and trends,” said WatchCharts founder Charle...

Our New Year’s Resolutions for 2024

Our New Year’s Resolutions for 2024

Last week, Zach Kazan shared his personal watch related New Years Resolution. This time around the rest of the team is getting in on the action. We asked the Editorial team and our roster of contributors to think about what they hope to accomplish in the watch space in 2024. A theme emerged quickly: almost everyone wants to consolidate, buy fewer watches, or some combination of the two. This, it should be noted, is not surprising. Watch collectors tend to indulge themselves, recognize it, and quickly commit to reversing course. Does change ever really take hold? Let’s just say, it remains to be seen. Even though many of these resolutions sound the same on the surface, the reasoning making tough decisions to sell, or to scale back the purchasing, vary quite a bit, and it’s a lot of fun to see everyone’s philosophies laid bare here at the start of the year. And it’s not all about cutting back: some of these resolutions actually involve actively buying more watches, and taking on a greater role in local and internet based watch communities. That’s definitely a resolution we can all get behind. Zach Weiss My watch resolution this year is a simple one, consolidate. Well, consolidate and focus. I’m going to push myself to make hard decisions, sell off watches I love but don’t wear enough (that means the once or twice-a-monthers), and put them towards something special. Not something that just pops up either. I want to be more intentional. My interests have veere...

Nodus and The Smoking Tire’s Matt Farah Team Up for a Bold, Driving Inspired LE

Nodus Jan 8, 2024

Nodus and The Smoking Tire’s Matt Farah Team Up for a Bold, Driving Inspired LE

Automotive inspired watches come in many different forms. There are watches that draw attention to aesthetic similarities between well understood components of cars and watches (dials that look like gauges on a dashboard, or even putting an automaker’s badge on the dial). And then there are watches that are, ostensibly, meant to be thought of as tools for motorsport – chronographs with tachymeter scales and the like. But there’s another category – the one I tend to prefer – that takes a more abstract approach. These are watches that are imbued with the feeling of driving in their design. Autodromo, of course, are masters at this. Their watches capture a driving aesthetic that doesn’t simply port over elements of vehicle design into a watch, and they use color and texture to evoke specific aspects of driving culture. The latest from Nodus, their second collaboration with automotive personality Matt Farah, is very much in that vein. The new Nodus Canyon in Sunset Orange follows the successful launch of the Mint colorway of the same watch last year (it sold out immediately to Farah’s Patreon subscribers). The watch, designed by Farah, is conceived as an everyday sports watch, with a 41mm stainless steel case that measures 11.5mm tall and 47mm from lug to lug. To look at the watch, you would not immediately clock it as automotive inspired, but it’s filled with subtle and personal details from Farah’s long history in the automotive world that will make it rewa...

Gen-Z Has Discovered Snoopy, But Watch Collectors Got Here First

Omega featured him Dec 26, 2023

Gen-Z Has Discovered Snoopy, But Watch Collectors Got Here First

Snoopy of ‘Peanuts’ fame has flown planes in World War I, gone to space, and been a baseball star-now he’s taken on a new role as a fashion and lifestyle icon for Gen Zers. In a viral moment that has come upon us rather unexpectedly (as these things always do) members of a younger generation seem to have discovered the iconic beagle all at once. Thanks to his worldly, casual confidence and enormous puffy coat, Snoopy has reached a level of popularity he probably hasn’t seen since ‘Peanuts’ was in print. To which the watch community says: welcome aboard the Snoopy train, we’ve been here for quite some time. For all the new Snoopy fans out there, here’s a brief rundown of the history of the relationship between comics’ most famous dog and the watch industry, along with some of the best Snoopy watches you can pick up. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ouch, Right In The Childhood (@ouchrightinthechildhood) Snoopy has graced the dials of watches since the 1950s, but his popularity among watch nerds has skyrocketed (pun intended, you’ll see in a second) since Omega featured him on the Speedmaster for the first time in 2003 in recognition of the watch brand being award NASA’s Silver Snoopy Award. The award was given in recognition of the key role the Apollo 13 astronauts’ Speedmasters played in the calculations they made to get home safely. The backstory for the watch, the difficulty in obtaining one of these limited edition pieces, a...

Shopping the Windup 2023 Holiday Gift Guide

Shopping the Windup 2023 Holiday Gift Guide

It’s over a week into December, and no doubt your holiday shopping is in full swing unless you’re a last minute shopper (we’ll have a blog post for you soon enough too, so stay tuned). For the proactive among us, or even the lost soul who has somehow found your way here trying to shop for the watch fanatic in your life, welcome. The kind folks at the Windup Watch Shop have you covered with our 2023 Holiday Gift Guide. Consider this a guide for a guide, if you will. It’s over a week into December, and no doubt your holiday shopping is in full swing unless you’re a last minute shopper (we’ll have a blog post for you soon enough too, so stay tuned). For the proactive among us, or even the lost soul who has somehow found your way here trying to shop for the watch fanatic in your life, welcome. The kind folks at the Windup Watch Shop have you covered with our 2023 Holiday Gift Guide. Consider this a guide for a guide, if you will. The post Shopping the Windup 2023 Holiday Gift Guide appeared first on Worn & Wound.

Why I’ve Never Owned A Rolex – And Why I Might Yet (Update: I Do Now!) – Reprise

Rolex Nov 26, 2023

Why I’ve Never Owned A Rolex – And Why I Might Yet (Update: I Do Now!) – Reprise

Once in a while on the collector forums, a question is posed: is there anyone in the collector community who has never, ever, owned a Rolex? As a general rule, respondents to these queries tend to express disbelief that such a creature could possibly exist given the quality and ubiquity of the brand’s watches. Well, folks, GaryG is here to tell you that such people do exist, and that he is one of them. How could it be? And then what happened?

[VIDEO] Review: The Delightfully Odd Longines HydroConquest GMT

Longines HydroConquest GMT Watches Nov 2, 2023

[VIDEO] Review: The Delightfully Odd Longines HydroConquest GMT

Watches that break from conventional wisdom tend to provide the most memorable experiences on the wrist. We search out such examples around here and embrace new watches that aren’t afraid to cut against the grain in some way, shape, or form. Doing so presents a risk for brands, particularly large, well established brands. A by-the-numbers design meant to appeal to the largest possible swath of the population must, by definition, be as inoffensive as possible. Deviation from the template risks putting out a percentage of would-be buyers, but it also creates grounds for differentiation, a necessity in today’s crowded landscape of watch brands young and old. Achieving balance here means a design that’s unique and exciting, while being accessible enough to sell to enough people to make it work financially. Generally, the larger the brand the safer they play with this equation. But that’s not always the case, as many large brands still produce polarizing yet recognizable watches that have a focused appeal to a group of die hard fans. I’ll let you conjure up your own examples of watches that fall into this category. One such testament is the Longines HydroConquest, a watch with a big personality that’s been emblematic of the era it was originally designed in, the mid ‘00s. Longines was ahead of the game when it introduced the HydroConquest in 2007, presenting a fully modern, forward looking take on a serious dive watch at Baselworld, and even offered in both 39 a...

Baltic Unveils the All New Hermétique Collection

Baltic Unveils Oct 5, 2023

Baltic Unveils the All New Hermétique Collection

The classic field watch has served as a blank canvas of sorts over the years for all kinds of brands in the microbrand space. It’s a sneakily challenging format to iterate on. Like the dive watch, it’s one of those platforms that was, arguably, perfected right out of the gate. And, like the dive watch, those new iterations tend to work best when a brand doesn’t try to reinvent something that isn’t broken, but simply puts their own unique stamp on a traditional design. That’s what Baltic seems to be going for with their new collection, introduced today, which they’ve dubbed the Hermétique. These first four “Tourer Edition” variants take classic field watch tropes but spin them through Baltic’s own sensibility, which itself has become only more clearly refined in recent years as the brand has continued to mature. What I’ve always liked about field watches is that they are relentlessly unfussy. They are the objectification of the idea of “neutral” in watch design. Simple to wear, simple to read, unobtrusive, but always good looking in their purest form, a simple arrangement of Arabic numerals against a high contrast dial. Baltic has taken the approach with the Hermétique leaning into those things that make field watches field watches, but have added tasteful accents that tweak the formula just a hair. First and foremost, these watches seem to be designed to disappear. The stainless steel cases come in at a very traditional 37mm diamater, and Baltic...

Minase and Fratello are Back with a New Version of the M-3, this Time in “Nori” Green

Minase Sep 20, 2023

Minase and Fratello are Back with a New Version of the M-3, this Time in “Nori” Green

Our friends at Fratello have announced their latest limited edition collaboration, a follow up to last year’s release with Minase. That watch, the M-3 “Very Peri,” marked the first time Minase’s cushion shaped case was available outside of Japan. This year’s version borrows the same case profile, but lands on a very different dial execution. The Fratello x Minase M-3 “Nori” has a subtle green dial inspired by Japanese seaweed, making for a toned down and perhaps more under-the-radar version of the M-3 than last year’s brightly colored purple variant. Minase, for the uninitiated, is a Japanese brand that produces about 500 pieces per year in the Akita Prefecture. They incorporate many traditional Japanese craft elements in their watchmaking, with a focus on hand-made components, but also incorporate plenty of modern manufacturing techniques. If you’ve handled any of their watches (we’ve been happy to have them at several recent Windup Watch Fairs, and they’ll be joining us once again in NYC next month), you know that they machined and finished immaculately. Zach wrote about Minase’s Divido here, which has an extremely complex case and bracelet construction, paired with a dial that’s made with a very traditional Japanese lacquering technique. The M-3 has a simpler case, but it’s machined and finished to the same high standard as Minase’s more complex designs. The cushion style case measures 39mm in diameter, 46mm lug-to-lug, and is just 10...

MICRO MONDAYS: The Branch Sector offers class and reliability under US$1,000

MICRO MONDAYS: The Branch Sector offers class and reliability under US$1,000

In the never-ending quest of making vintage-looking modern watches, brands tend to forget one key element: the tactile vintage feel. Getting the yesteryear look right can’t be easy, and getting the vintage feel when holding the watch in the hand seems to be nearly impossible to replicate. That is probably due to the fact that … ContinuedThe post MICRO MONDAYS: The Branch Sector offers class and reliability under US$1,000 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Yema Introduces the New Sous Marine Dive Watch, a Contemporary Diver Designed by a Pro

Yema Aug 17, 2023

Yema Introduces the New Sous Marine Dive Watch, a Contemporary Diver Designed by a Pro

If you look at the most recent crop of releases from Yema, they tend to be explicitly vintage inspired, or calling upon the brand’s past, in one way or another. The Urban Traveler is their take on a 1970s era integrated bracelet sports watch, and a new Rallygraf, with a look dating to a similar time period, also appeared earlier this summer. So their latest release, the Sous Marine dive watch, feels quite a bit different, in that this really has the appearance of a contemporary sports watch in a variety of key ways. Designed with help from Jason Washington, a Yema ambassador and professional diver, the Sous Marine has the trappings of a modern “pro” dive watch, but remains accessible to desk divers and those looking for some color and competence in an everyday piece. The stainless steel case, which is water resistant to 300 meters, was designed to be compact and wearable, and measures 40.5mm in diameter while being just a hair over 12mm tall (including the sapphire crystal). The muscular crown guards are perhaps the first clue that this watch wasn’t designed purely by browsing old Yema catalogs. The aluminum bezel insert is perhaps a small remnant of the way these things used to be made, but even there the Arabic numerals and and hash marks to aid in timing have been given a luminescent treatment, which to me often feels like a wholeheartedly “contemporary” design decision. The dial is split into multiple sectors, with an inner ring in white that displays t...