1,402 articles · 14 videos found · page 2 of 48
Revolution
Jaeger-LeCoultre is a modern manufacture, often taking the lead in new developments coming from a stellar reputation when it comes to movement design and development. Yet, they will not give up on proven “old school” technology and craftsmanship until something new has clearly demonstrated that it is better as well. This approach has been part […]
Teddy Baldassarre
A guide to METAS certification and the necessary process for a watch to call itself a Master Chronometer.
Monochrome
Since 2005, the Longines Master Collection has been the brand’s flagship line of traditional mechanical watchmaking. While the collection includes more complex models such as chronographs, moon phases and GMTs, the core, conservative Master Collection mainly comprises time-only models. The latest news from the winged hourglass brand is the release of the new, fully redesigned […]
Teddy Baldassarre
The elegant family gets its first major facelift in two decades, with four new sizing options joining the Longines Master Collection family.
Hodinkee
What We Know When Longines launched the Master Collection in 2005, it established the line as the brand's flagship dress watch offering—a position the line has held for two decades. Today, the Saint-Imier-based brand is announcing a comprehensive rethinking of the collection, spanning 30mm, 34mm, 39mm, and 41mm cases across some twenty new references. It's the second significant collection update Longines has made in 2026, following the successful and much-in-demand Hydroconquest refresh announced in March. All twenty references share the same core design language. Cases are stainless steel throughout. The barleycorn dial texture runs across the line, though the 30mm and 34mm models offer silver barleycorn only, and offer a two-tone option with yellow or rose gold-capped bezels and matching crowns. While the 39mm and 41mm expand to include blue barleycorn options. The 41mm also adds a variant with Eastern Arabic numerals, which is not offered in any other size. All models display hours, minutes, and seconds centrally, with a date aperture at 3 o'clock. The 30mm references are powered by the Caliber L592.5, a self-winding movement with a silicon balance spring and a power reserve of up to 45 hours. The 34mm, 39mm, and 41mm models all use the Caliber L888.5—also self-winding, also silicon balance spring—with a power reserve of up to 72 hours. Both are exclusive Longines calibers. Across all sizes, watches are offered on stainless steel bracelets with newly designed sho...
Video
Felix opened an Arena Club Time Box and had absolutely no clue what watch was waiting inside.
SJX Watches
Rolex commands a lot of attention during Watches & Wonders, and this year much of the focus was on the enamel-dialled Daytona — a high-tech, high-priced, off-catalogue variant of one of the hottest watches in the industry. But the brand’s other chronograph, the Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master II, also got a much-needed — but still unexpected — makeover, transforming it from an ugly duckling into a compelling chronograph for the contrarian collector. Initial thoughts Despite the pre-event teaser posted to social media, the launch of an updated Yacht-Master II still managed to feel like a surprise. The original Yacht-Master II debuted in the pre-financial crisis exuberance of 2007 and exemplified the tastes of the era, being something of the Royal Oak Offshore of the Rolex line-up. It was big and brash but offered enough technical substance to stay intellectually relevant, even as the model lost enthusiasm in collector circles before its discontinuation in 2024. The updated Yacht-Master II improves on the original in every way, dialing back the ostentation and doubling down on the technical merit. The new Yacht-Master II is available in stainless steel or full 18k yellow gold, and offers a decent value proposition in either configuration given the technical sophistication of the calibre and the high quality of make. As the standard-bearer of the luxury watch industry, Rolex could charge more than it does and the brand’s restraint is notable. The full-gold ref. 1266...
Teddy Baldassarre
The next generation Yacht-Master II boasts a dial design overhaul for new Oystersteel and yellow gold references. More
Two Broke Watch Snobs
We reviewed the Imperial Oceanguard GMT and Steinhart Ocean 39 GMT hands-on to see which affordable Rolex GMT-Master II alternative is easier to live with.Gemini is AI and can make mistakes.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Compare the Vaer G2 Meridian GMT and Imperial Oceanguard GMT as affordable Rolex GMT-Master II alternatives, with hands-on notes on wearability, movements, value, and daily use.
Fratello
Another Friday, another list. This week, we decided to dive into the world of regatta timers. Rolex’s big introduction this year during Watches and Wonders was the updated Yacht-Master II. In itself, the updated watch proved to be a huge improvement compared to the previous generation of The Crown’s regatta timer. In both usability and […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Alternatives To The Rolex Yacht-Master II to read the full article.
Video
Exploring the collection of Constellation Observatory watches in OMEGA Gold alloys.
Monochrome
There’s always been something slightly paradoxical, if not vague, about the Rolex Yacht-Master II. In the brand‘s catalogue, year after year defined by a slow-paced evolution (quite unpredictable recently, though, as we have learned from experience) and exceptional commercial clarity, this watch has consistently stood apart. A large, complex and highly specific model, it is […]
Time+Tide
With a new movement, a new way of operating the countdown timer, and an updated design, the Rolex Yacht-Master II is a thoroughly new watch.
Monochrome
When it was unveiled in 2014, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Calibre 362 stunned the horological world as the slimmest automatic minute repeater with a tourbillon regulator. For 2026, Jaeger revisits its high-complication masterpiece with the new Master Hybris Mechanica Ultra Thin Minute Repeater, a ten-piece limited edition with an openworked dial reaffirming the Maison’s dominance in chiming mechanisms, […]
Monochrome
Jaeger-LeCoultre revisits one of its most important contemporary tourbillon movements with the new Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon Jumping Date. While the underlying Calibre 978 is familiar to collectors, the latest iteration restructures the movement’s architecture. Featuring a partially openworked dial, the tourbillon, signature jumping date mechanism, and 24-hour display come to the fore. Paying homage […]
SJX Watches
In a rather surprising move, Rolex unveiled a revamped and re-engineered version of the Yacht-Master II. Although the original was discontinued in 2024 the Geneva-based brand decided to give the quirky watch another chance at life, while also making the user’s life much easier with a more practical interface enhanced by a more appealing design. Initial thoughts The original Yacht-Master II was undoubtedly a polarising timepiece. People would either love the bulky aesthetics or instantly dismiss it as an unpalatable timepiece. Add to that the complicated Command Ring bezel programming sequence for the regatta timer and the result is a perhaps the quirkiest Rolex creation in modern times. Apparently the timepiece was performing well enough to warrant an encore. The Yacht-Master II was thus updated to include both Rolex’s latest innovations (such as the Chronergy escapement) and a revised user interface. In terms of aesthetics, the 44 mm timepiece is still hard to love at first, but definitely not as excessive as past versions. The biggest change was perhaps the shift to a regular bi-directional 60 minute click bezel, which replaced the cumbersome Command Ring system used previously. The ten-minute countdown markings were moved to a raised flange on the dial. The regatta minutes and seconds hands now turn counterclockwise, a suggestive way of approaching countdown. Although few Yacht-Master II pieces will realistically be used for yacht race timing, the complicati...
Video
The Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8914. Rhodium-plated, with polished bevels and an applied Observatory medallion on the skeletonised rotor. Certified without a seconds hand.
Monochrome
Any watch bearing “Hybris” in its name represents the pinnacle of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s mechanics and craftsmanship. Representing the third pillar of the elite Hybris family, the new Inventiva series is dedicated to single, groundbreaking complications. The first in line is the extraordinary Master Hybris Inventiva Gyrotourbillon à Stratosphère Calibre 178. Building on two decades of multi-axis […]
Monochrome
After an absence from the catalogue for two years, one of Rolex’s most complicated watches makes a return: the Yacht Master II. And it’s not just an update in looks, as the new ref. 126680 and Ref. 126688 carry forward the torch of this unique collection set in motion in 2007 and redefined in 2017, […]
Fratello
In 2007, Rolex introduced its Yacht-Master II. It wasn’t a new version of the 1992 Yacht-Master but an all-new model with a regatta countdown chronograph function. By using the bezel (Rolex dubbed it “Ring Command”), you could set the watch to act as a countdown timer. Though it was a very clever system, it was […] Visit Introducing: The New Rolex Yacht-Master II 126680 And 126688 to read the full article.
Fratello
Another Friday, another list! This week, we continue our series looking for alternatives to some of the world’s most popular watches with five alternatives to the iconic Rolex GMT-Master II. The Crown’s iconic GMT watch set the standard for travel watches. While its legacy is undeniably grand, the modern GMT-Master II is not always the […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Rolex GMT-Master II Alternatives In 2026 to read the full article.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
We reviewed these Rolex GMT-Master II alternatives for wearability, reliability, design, and value to help you avoid the waitlist and the markup.
Video
All this for around £2,250 pre-owned?! In this video, I unbox and take a closer look at the value-packed Longines Master Collection Complete Calendar Chronograph. From its anthracite vertically-brushed dial, which bo...
Fratello
When you type in “retrograde” in the search box on the Fratello homepage, the results are watches in the upper echelons of high horology. The presence of a Longines is the exception that proves the rule. However, there is a brand that can be categorized as “affordable luxury watchmaking” and has quite a reputation for […] Visit Introducing: The Maurice Lacroix 1975 Master Grand Date Retrograde With The Brand’s 26th Masterpiece Caliber to read the full article.
Monochrome
For more than a quarter of a century, mostly through its Masterpiece collection, Maurice Lacroix has delivered pretty appealing watches based on single or multiple retrograde indications – a design statement that somehow became a signature style for the brand. Following the recent launch of the Aikonic Master Triple Retrograde, a watch with retrograde displays […]
Fratello
It’s gifting season, and Jaeger-LeCoultre serves up a tantalizing prospect in the form of the Master Control Classic. Despite the 1950s aesthetic, the “Classic” in the name pays homage to early Master Control watches of the 1990s. This era is becoming a burgeoning nostalgia kick in the watch industry for buyers entering their 50s. Okay, […] Visit Introducing: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Classic to read the full article.
Monochrome
Since its debut in 1992, the Master Control collection by Jaeger-LeCoultre has embodied the brand’s refined approach to timeless design and precision. The line was introduced as the first to undergo the Manufacture’s 1000-Hour Control testing, a rigorous in-house certification of accuracy and reliability applied to the complete watch, not just the movement. Decades later, […]
Fratello
Jaeger-LeCoultre has a reputation for revered watchmaking, all within a single facility in Le Sentier, in the Vallée de Joux. For 2025, La Grande Maison unveils two new Master Ultra Thin timepieces. Both feature a soft, almost terracotta-like shade of copper. The grainy texture also lends the aesthetic a touch of ruggedness. Yet, the playful […] Visit Introducing: Two New Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Watches In Distinctive Copper Hues to read the full article.
Video
Is the early 1980s two-tone Rolex GMT-Master the perfect vintage watch? From its gorgeous gilt nipple dial to the perfectly matching tritium hands, this classic proves that two-tone watches are incredible and making a...
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