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Results for Royal Oak

943 articles · 7 videos found · page 20 of 32

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Wiki · Guide
Integrated Bracelet

Bracelet that flows directly from the case without separate end-links. Genta\'s 1972 Royal Oak innovation.

Reference · Guide
All Audemars Piguet Royal Oak References Audemars Piguet

Every AP Royal Oak: 5402ST A-Series, 14790, 15400, 15500, 15510, Jumbo 15202 / 16202, Chronograph 26240.

Exclusive · Guide
Yellow watches are the summer 2026 uniform: seven picks

Bell & Ross helicopter yellow, the Tudor Bumblebee 39, Breitling's Eddy Merckx Top Time, plus the Doxa, TAG F1, Seawolf and Royal Oak Offshore Diver. Every yellow watch worth talking about this summer.

Exclusive · Guide
The Best Royal pop straps for the Swatch x Audemars Piguet Royal Oak: helvetus, delugs, wristbuddys, strapops

Swatch's plastic Royal Oak needs an actual strap the moment you get it home. Four makers doing colour-matched integrated-lug Royal Pop straps in leather, rubber, canvas and everything else.

The Dirty Dozen Watches As Interpreted By Half A Dozen Affordable Microbrands Fratello
Audemars Piguet Dec 29, 2024

The Dirty Dozen Watches As Interpreted By Half A Dozen Affordable Microbrands

We often hear statements like, “This watch is a true classic,” or “This is a timeless design.” Typically, such statements refer to big names in the watch industry, such as Rolex and the Submariner, Omega and the Speedmaster, or Audemars Piguet and the Royal Oak. That’s either because their designs are simple and indeed timeless […] Visit The Dirty Dozen Watches As Interpreted By Half A Dozen Affordable Microbrands to read the full article.

In-Depth: The Audemars Piguet 5043BC “Ultra-Thin” And Caliber 2003 Fratello
Audemars Piguet 5043BC “Ultra-Thin” Oct 26, 2024

In-Depth: The Audemars Piguet 5043BC “Ultra-Thin” And Caliber 2003

If 100 people were asked about the first words that come to mind when “Audemars Piguet” is spoken, I wager that almost all would respond with “Royal Oak.” That signals how popular Gérald Genta’s groundbreaking 1972 design has become. However, before this and even after the Royal Oak was released, Audemars offered a very different […] Visit In-Depth: The Audemars Piguet 5043BC “Ultra-Thin” And Caliber 2003 to read the full article.

Transmission from an Integrated Bracelet Sports Watch Skeptic: the Citizen Tsuyosa Small Second Worn & Wound
Citizen Tsuyosa Small Second I Oct 15, 2024

Transmission from an Integrated Bracelet Sports Watch Skeptic: the Citizen Tsuyosa Small Second

I have a confession to make: I’m a bit of an integrated bracelet sports watch skeptic.   As the watch community went crazy for integrated, Gerald Genta inspired designs over the last few years, I largely observed from the bench. Watches like the Royal Oak, the Nautilus, and newer challengers like Moser’s Streamliner and Chopard’s reissued (and heavily redesigned) Alpine Eagle have always been curiosities at best, for me. I’ve never lusted after an integrated bracelet sports watch. It feels like that’s almost transgressive to say, or at least would have been at the height of Royal Oak mania a few years ago – but it’s just never been a real point of interest for me.  Now, part of the reason for that is certainly the prohibitive price point of many of the most sought after integrated bracelet sports watches. I don’t have thirty thousand dollars (or more) to spend on a watch, and quite frankly if I did, I think I could find other watches I’d prefer for the money.  But it’s not just the expense. I’ve never been a fan of the way these watches look on my wrist. Even if I admire the craftsmanship of a Royal Oak bracelet – because it’s honestly undeniable – something about the hard angles just didn’t do it for me.  Anyway, skeptic though I am, part of the deal when you work in the watch media world is that you just get to see and try on a lot of stuff. And so there I was at Windup Chicago earlier this year, checking out watches at the Citizen boot...

First Look - The Lightweight Maurice Lacroix Aikon Automatic in Titanium Monochrome
Maurice Lacroix Aikon Automatic Sep 26, 2024

First Look - The Lightweight Maurice Lacroix Aikon Automatic in Titanium

Integrated sports watches have been a hit since the 1970s when the Royal Oak and Nautilus changed everything, and affordable options are all the rage today. Look no further than Tissot’s PRX Powermatic 80 as an example. Maurice Lacroix’s Aikon Automatic perhaps does it best with a masterful combination of luxury and attainability. Usually comprised […]

Introducing - AP Unveils Chroma Forged Technology, a Coloured & Lumed Forged Carbon for the ROC Split-Seconds Monochrome
Audemars Piguet ROC collection has used Sep 20, 2024

Introducing - AP Unveils Chroma Forged Technology, a Coloured & Lumed Forged Carbon for the ROC Split-Seconds

With its ultra-contemporary design, the Royal Oak Concept collection has always been a vessel for innovation at AP, and that since its creation in 2002. First with a cobalt-based super-alloy (Alacrite 602), the Audemars Piguet ROC collection has used some of the brand’s most complex movements, daring designs or advanced materials. Now, it’s time for […]

First Look - The Girard-Perregaux Laureato Japan ‘Aiiro’ Limited Editions Monochrome
Girard-Perregaux Laureato Japan ‘Aiiro’ Limited Sep 16, 2024

First Look - The Girard-Perregaux Laureato Japan ‘Aiiro’ Limited Editions

Presented in 1975, the Laureato was Girard-Perregaux’s proposal of a luxury sports watch with a fully integrated bracelet, a round dial with an octagonal bezel, a tonneau-shaped case and a quartz movement. Produced three years after the Royal Oak but well before the Nautilus, the Laureato resurfaced in 2016 with limited editions followed by serial […]

Tissot Introduces Compelling new PRX References that Play with Materials and Colors in New Ways Worn & Wound
Tissot Introduces Compelling new PRX Sep 12, 2024

Tissot Introduces Compelling new PRX References that Play with Materials and Colors in New Ways

Confession time: I’ve long been something of a Tissot PRX skeptic. The ultra popular watches have found a wide and enthusiastic audience, but for me they always seemed just a little too much like a Royal Oak homage. I know, I know – they are based on watches from the Tissot back catalog and a side by side comparison reveals plenty of obvious differences. It’s a somewhat irrational position, perhaps, but they feel a little too close for comfort if observed from a distance. But Tissot recently revealed a pair of new watches in the PRX line that took me by surprise in how much I was immediately drawn to them, and taken together they are possibly the most unconventional and visually striking watches in this collection to date.  There’s a huge variety of PRX watches out there – it’s a line that has become the centerpiece of Tissot’s expansive catalog in recent years. There are quartz and mechanical versions of these watches in multiple sizes (40mm and 35mm), as well as a mechanical chronograph. Tissot has also made the PRX in a dizzying array of colors, with gold plated case options as well. The newly introduced variants fall in the PRX Powermatic 80 camp, so they feature Tissot’s 80 hour automatic movement, and each comes in at the 40mm size.  The release that seemed to garner the most traction from the most online members of the watch community was the new PRX with a forged carbon case. This is the first time forged carbon has been used in a PRX, and it imme...

Highlights: Phillips Geneva Online Auction Fall 2024 SJX Watches
Seiko Izul “bullhead” chronograph We Sep 8, 2024

Highlights: Phillips Geneva Online Auction Fall 2024

The fall auction season kicks off with online auctions, before the primary live sales that take place in November. Phillips in Geneva just opened its online auction with a 70-lot offering of the familiar and mainstream (think Aquanaut, Royal Oak, and Nautilus), but also the esoteric and independent, ranging from an Alain Silberstein perpetual calendar made by Svend Andersen to a Seiko Izul “bullhead” chronograph. We round up a few highlights from the sale, which runs from September 5-12, 2024, with the catalogue and bidding available online. Lot 9 –  Alain Silberstein Marine Perpetual Calendar by Svend Andersen Part of Alain Silberstein’s Marine series of dive watches, the Marine Perpetual is a COSC-certified perpetual calendar in a case rated to 200 m. It’s equipped with a clever, double-sided perpetual calendar movement developed by Svend Andersen. Built on an ETA 2892, the perpetual calendar has a minimalist display with only the date on the dial that’s decorated in Silberstein’s trademark style with geometric shapes, primary colours, along with a starfish, crescent, and sun. On the reverse is the months and leap year in a single register that is mounted on the periphery of the movement, allowing the rotor to travel below the indicator. The Marine Perpetual was a limited edition of 100 watches, though it is likely fewer were made, since they are rarely encountered. It was one of several collaborations that Alain Silberstein in the 1990s with prominent in...

Fratello’s Top 5 Modern Sports Watches With Integrated Bracelets Of The First Half Of 2024 Fratello
Aug 16, 2024

Fratello’s Top 5 Modern Sports Watches With Integrated Bracelets Of The First Half Of 2024

Another Friday, another list! We’re slowly coming to the end of our series of lists that highlight the best of the first half of 2024. This week, we picked our favorite modern luxury sports watches with integrated bracelets. The category that was started by Gérald Genta’s Royal Oak has really taken off in the past […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Modern Sports Watches With Integrated Bracelets Of The First Half Of 2024 to read the full article.

Zenith Introduces the Defy Skyline Skeleton White Ceramic SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet Jul 11, 2024

Zenith Introduces the Defy Skyline Skeleton White Ceramic

A new livery for one of Zenith’s most popular models, the Defy Skyline Skeleton White Ceramic shares the styling of its siblings like the Defy Skyline 36 mm but with a few notable tweaks including a white ceramic case and blue-treated skeletonised movement. And though it appears to be a simple time-only watch, the Defy Skyline features a discreet complication in the form of a “lightning” small seconds hand that completes one rotation every ten seconds. Initial thoughts Zenith has recently been playing it safe with new launches by building on current bestsellers, like the Defy Skyline. The new skeleton in white ceramic is a good looking watch, and an excellent execution of one of Zenith’s modern-day classics. The combination is also novel. Although each key element of the watch is common in itself – a skeleton movement plus the white ceramic case and bracelet – they are relatively uncommon together. The Defy Skyline Skeleton on the wrist However, the Defy Skyline arguably tries too hard to capitalise on the recent (and waning) popularity of integrated-bracelet sports watches. It is not difficult to see a resemblance to the Royal Oak, in particular the one-off Royal Oak made for Only Watch 2023, making it a bit cliché. Priced at US$17,500, the Defy Skyline Skeleton in white ceramic is a decent value proposition compared to similar watches, most of which are from pricier brands like Hublot or Audemars Piguet. Besides the ceramic case and bracelet, it stands out ...

IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40 Review Teddy Baldassarre
IWC Jul 2, 2024

IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40 Review

IWC released a new generation of its Ingenieur collection in 2023, at what many would consider the tail end of the integrated-luxury-sport-watch craze that gripped the industry heading into 2020. At the time, it was tempting to say that IWC was a bit late to the punch here, especially considering the Schaffhausen-based brand's enviable position of having an original Gérald Genta design from the ‘70s to utilize. In hindsight, however, it seems that IWC was playing the long game, and wasn’t interested in rushing out a throwback type of release. Instead, IWC took a bit more time and released a modern rendition of the original Genta design, released in 1976, as a foundation for years to come. The result is the Reference 3289 Ingenieur, and it’s a watch that looks to do more than merely capitalize on a passing trend.  There are two watches with which you likely associate the name Gérald Genta, and those are the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, and the Patek Philippe Nautilus. Genta penned both of these now iconic designs, in 1972 and 1976 respectively, and they have served as cornerstones in creating the premium sport-watch genre as a whole, as well as helped to spawn the subset of integrated-bracelet designs within it. But those are far from the only watches that can be attributed to Genta, and in fact, aren’t even the only integrated-bracelet sport-watch designs to come out of that era. In 1976, he also designed a new Ingenieur for IWC, known as the SL Ref. 1832 (tha...

Just in Time for Summer, the Maurice Lacroix Aikon Gets Some Color Worn & Wound
Maurice Lacroix Aikon Gets Some Color Jun 13, 2024

Just in Time for Summer, the Maurice Lacroix Aikon Gets Some Color

I have long been skeptical of the integrated bracelet sports watch. It’s a genre of watch that I’ve never really lusted after, and while I can certainly appreciate the craftsmanship of a Royal Oak bracelet or the collectability of a rare Nautilus, these watches have always been mostly about flaunting wealth, and they kind of all bleed together to look like one another at a certain point, which leads me to wonder what that says about the taste of those who prize them so highly. Still, everyone once in a while an integrated bracelet sports watch comes around that is almost accidentally appealing to me, usually because of how it undermines the tropes of the genre. I suppose I also just have a soft spot for the Maurice Lacroix Aikon collection. There’s something about the accessibility and variety of these watches that I’ve always enjoyed.  The latest entry in the Aikon collection from Maurice Lacroix is the summer ready Quartz Colors collection seen here. The name, as is often the case, kind of gives away what we’re dealing with. These Aikons, with references in both 35mm and 40mm, are powered by quartz movements, and they do indeed feature colors. The 35mm variants give you the option of a “Sunset Pink” or “Deep Sky Blue” dial, while the 40mm watch comes in sky blue only. The smaller versions of the Aikon Quartz Colors are also accented with diamonds at the hour markers.  The press materials for the Quartz Colors releases suggest that Maurice Lacriox was ...

The IWC Yacht Club II Ref. 3212 Is A Genta Design I Would Like To See Reborn Fratello
IWC Yacht Club II Ref Jun 11, 2024

The IWC Yacht Club II Ref. 3212 Is A Genta Design I Would Like To See Reborn

Last year, the IWC Ingenieur returned. The original Gérald Genta design got reworked and, when launched in steel and titanium, proved an alternative to the (un)available Royal Oak and Nautilus, the most iconic of Genta-penciled watches. A recent visit to IWC’s museum in Schaffhausen, on the banks of the river Rhine, sparked a couple of […] Visit The IWC Yacht Club II Ref. 3212 Is A Genta Design I Would Like To See Reborn to read the full article.

The 12 Best Luxury Dive Watches for 2026 Teddy Baldassarre
Apr 16, 2024

The 12 Best Luxury Dive Watches for 2026

There are dive watches that you wear to go diving and there are dive watches that you wear - well, maybe afterward, to the country club where you go to talk about diving. It is this latter category that we’re focusing on with this list - so-called “luxury” dive watches, timepieces that still offer all the functionality and toughness one requires of a diver (all of the watches listed come in at 200 meters or more of water resistance) but do so at a higher level of elegance than elevates them from tool watch to dress watch - i.e., precious metal or exotic-material cases, extra complications, exclusive designs, artisanal executions, or a combination of the above, all of which account for their accordingly lofty price points. Here are a dozen that qualify. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver Price: $30,500, Case Size: 42mm, Thickness: 14.2mm, Water Resistance: 300m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic Audemars Piguet Caliber 4308 Audemars Piguet added a purpose-built dive watch to its Royal Oak Offshore collection of boldly styled sport-luxury timepieces - which spun out of the original, classic Royal Oak series - in 2010. The Royal Oak Offshore Divers feature 42mm cases that are integrated not into metal bracelets (like those of the core Royal Oak models) but into sleek, sporty rubber straps suited for underwater submergence. The cases are water-resistant to 300 meters and the dials, with the hallmark “Mega Tapisserie” textured motif, host a pair...

The Parmigiani Tonda PF Does Away with the Date SJX Watches
Parmigiani Fleurier Apr 9, 2024

The Parmigiani Tonda PF Does Away with the Date

At Watches & Wonders 2024, Parmigiani Fleurier is launching the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor No Date, a concise sports watch clearly catered to those who want just two hands. Featuring a “Golden Siena” (or “salmon”) dial in its inaugural guise, the new Tonda PF barely deviates from the design of the original released in 2021, retaining the same case, proportions, and movement, but eliminates the date. Initial thoughts Among the sports watches launched during the integrated-bracelet-sports-watch fad, the Tonda PF stood out for its unique aesthetics that are neither boring nor flashy. While many of its competitors were often obvious derivatives of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus, the Tonda PF was more original and managed to retain some of the traditional design codes of Parmigiani’s more formal watches. From a distance, it is challenging to tell the difference between the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor No Date and the original. In fact, the only real difference lies in the dial design and colour. Although the differences are minimal, the salmon dial with a no-date layout offers a more refined aesthetic that will appeal to purists. At CHF23,500, the watch is priced the same as the date version and like it, is a decent-enough value proposition. Though it seems expensive when compared to more affordable alternatives like the Louis Vuitton Tambour or Moser Streamliner, the Tonda PF is more affordable than the Royal Oak or a Nautilus (which are mostly unobtaina...

First Look - The new Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph Ti49 in Titanium (incl. Video) Monochrome
Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph Ti49 Mar 19, 2024

First Look - The new Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph Ti49 in Titanium (incl. Video)

While we all very well know who created the luxury sports watch segment, and what was the first sporty-chic watch with integrated bracelet, it must be said that other iconic models came on the market soon after. Following the 1972 Royal Oak, 1976 saw the introduction of the Nautilus and 1977 the launch of the […]

Audemars Piguet Introduces the Code 11.59 in Pink Gold SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet Introduces Mar 7, 2024

Audemars Piguet Introduces the Code 11.59 in Pink Gold

To mark the collection’s fifth anniversary, Audemars Piguet (AP) has launched seven new variants of the Code 11.59 in pink gold that are available in both 41 mm and 38 mm cases, with the 41 mm option being available with or without a chronograph. While none of the individual elements are novel (the new models are a melange of successful elements from recent launches) the new 38 mm model in navy blue – specifically the same hue as the Royal Oak “Jumbo” ref. 5402 ST – is one of the most appealing variants of the Code 11.59 to-date. Initial thoughts Though often considered a gateway to the brand’s most sought-after models like the Royal Oak, the Code 11.59 has quietly evolved into a full-fledged collection that now includes everything from simple time-only pieces to the grandest of grand complications.  The new references reflect the updated Code 11.59 aesthetic introduced last year in stainless steel, which comprised an updated hand set and stamped guilloché dials in crowd-pleasing colours like navy blue and dark green. It is in this respect that the 38 mm model with navy blue dial that stands out. While not the first 38 mm Code 11.59, it is the first in a mainstream colourway. Combined with the more wearable size, this new variant adds significant appeal to the overall collection. The pricing of the new Code 11.59 depends on the size and the complication: the 38 mm models are priced at CHF27,500, while the 41 mm is available for extra CHF1,000 and the chronogr...

Maurice Lacroix Debuts a Pair of New Aikons with PVD Coated Cases Worn & Wound
Maurice Lacroix Debuts Jan 30, 2024

Maurice Lacroix Debuts a Pair of New Aikons with PVD Coated Cases

For years we’ve been calling for watch brands in every category to embrace color, and to give us more than the standard array of white/black/blue when it comes to dial variants. And for the most part, we’ve reached a point where most watchmakers are providing consumers with a healthy choice of dial variants beyond the standard. A new release from Maurice Lacroix, however, has me wondering if case color is the next frontier. The new Aikon PVD collection, a small series of just two watches, has the brand’s popular contemporary sports watch getting a PVD coating. One in gunmetal gray (admittedly, not super uncommon) and the other in a metallic shade of dark blue.  The Aikon so often spoken about as a far less expensive alternative to the Royal Oak that it’s hard not to think of AP’s Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar in blue ceramic when considering the blue PVD Aikon. Obviously there are enormous differences. The aforementioned Royal Oak QP is, by all accounts, one of the most sought after watches in the world, full stop. The Aikon has a cult following, but it’s nowhere near the cultural touchstone of the Royal Oak. And the AP is complicated, and the Maurice Lacroix is time only. But still, from across the room (way, way across the room) the Aikon can play tricks on you – it has a similar silhouette and is a watch in a similar style as the Royal Oak, and now you can have one in blue, if you’d like.  The blue PVD version of the Aikon measures 39mm in diameter, whi...

Review: Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Sport Chronograph SJX Watches
Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Sport Chronograph Jan 28, 2024

Review: Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Sport Chronograph

Two years after the Tonda PF, a commercial hit for the previously low-key brand, Parmigiani Fleurier has diversified its lineup of sports watches with the Tonda PF Sport. Replacing the Tonda GT as the brand’s entry-level sports watch, the Tonda PF Sport has a cleaner, bolder aesthetic compared to the Tonda PF. The Tonda PF Sport is available as either a chronograph, or a time-and-date automatic. The standout model is the Tonda PF Sport Chronograph, which is equipped with the PF070, an integrated chronograph movement with impressive features, including a high-frequency, free-sprung balance running at 36,000 beats per hour (5 Hz), double barrels, as well as the requisite column wheel and vertical clutch expected of a modern calibre – all contained in a package under 7 mm high. Initial thoughts My first in-person encounter with Parmigiani’s sports watch was in 2021 when the brand launched the Tonda PF amidst the integrated-bracelet-sports-watch craze during the pandemic. Countless brands were trying to replicate the success of the Royal Oak and Nautilus, so it seemed like Parmigiani was just one of many trying to do the same thing. However, when I got an opportunity to examine the Tonda PF in person during Geneva Watch Days that year, it struck me as something different, rather than a derivative product. Even though the Tonda PF was clearly an integrated-bracelet sports watch, it was not like the others in both style and detail. The Tonda PF Sport Chronograph is obvious...

Best of 2023: Complications SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet Universelle but Dec 26, 2023

Best of 2023: Complications

Twenty twenty-three was a year where familiar complications were reimagined. The year’s standouts in terms of complications are characterised by good execution. Granted, most of of them are evolutionary, except perhaps for the Audemars Piguet Universelle, but a classic complication done well is arguably superior to a novel idea done badly. We asked our team members well versed with the year’s complications for their favourites and here they are. SJX The year’s most complicated and most impressive (multi) complication came from a surprising brand, Audemars Piguet. Even though it was the Royal Oak Travis Scott and Royal Oak Concept “Spider-Man” that captured the headlines, the Code 11:59 Universelle was questionably AP’s most important watch of the year from a watchmaking perspective. The Universelle manages to pack almost two dozen complications, including a grande sonnerie, perpetual calendar, split-seconds chronograph, and notably, automatic winding, into a case that’s just 42 mm wide and 15.55 mm high – a positively slender case by the standards of grand complications. By comparison, the F.P. Journe Astronomic is 44 mm by 13.7 mm, while the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime measures 47.7 mm by 16.07 mm. AP managed to do that with sophisticated and ingenious engineering, most notably by integrating the split-seconds mechanism into the automatic winding hub. The clever technical solutions are also evident in the calendar, which has an extra-thin construction...

REVIEW: Hands On With The Baume & Mercier Riviera GMT Travel Time WatchAdvice
Audemars Piguet making Dec 7, 2023

REVIEW: Hands On With The Baume & Mercier Riviera GMT Travel Time

We’ve gone hands on with the new Riviera GMT launched at the start of the year, and we must say that it’s been a bit of a surprise package! What We Love Wave motif silver dialQuick change strap systemComfortable bracelet What We Don’t No secondary strap to utilise the quick change systemNo GMT bezel, limiting true GMT functionalityLack of a screw-down crown Overall Rating: 8/10 Value for money: 8/10Wearability: 8/10Design: 7.5/10Build quality: 8.5/10 Baume & Mercier has had its ups and downs over the years, and more recently, I feel they’ve been relegated to the bottom of the Richemont stable of brands. However, this year, with the 50th Anniversary of the Riviera, Baume & Mercier have breathed some new life into their steel sports diver and designed it for a new wave of watch lovers. For those not very familiar with Baume & Mercier, first a very quick history lesson… The new Baume & Mercier Riviera GMT Travel Time Launched in 1973, the Riviera immediately made a splash with its dodecagonal case and its slimline metal strap. At this time, very few brands had really ventured into the luxury integrated steel bracelet models, with maybe the exception of Rolex and Audemars Piguet, making the Baume & Mercier Riviera one of the first brands to do this. Interestingly, the original design was done by Jean-Claude Gueit, the father of Emmanuel Gueit who designed the Royal Oak Offshore, so the Riviera has some design provenance and links back to that era as well. The Riviera...

Breguet Navigates Tradition and Ambition with the Marine Tourbillon 5577 SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin Overseas Nov 2, 2023

Breguet Navigates Tradition and Ambition with the Marine Tourbillon 5577

In the realm of haute horlogerie, few names hold the same level of esteem and reverence as Breguet. The newly unveiled Breguet Marine Tourbillon 5577 is no doubt intended as a tribute to the brand’s visionary founder, Abraham-Louis Breguet, by drawing inspiration from his deep ties to maritime navigation, astronomy, and the spirit of innovation.  Initial thoughts By introducing a tourbillon for the first time in the Marine collection, Breguet aims to leverage the prestige of the complication to enhance its sport watch offering. Like many other Breguet complications, the Marine tourbillon possesses a high level of quality, particularly in the sophisticated and impressively constructed movement that’s just 3 mm high, making its one of the thinnest tourbillon calibres on the market. The thinness gives the watch elegant proportions, despite the relatively wide case that’s 42.5 mm, as it stands well under 10 mm high. Besides its height, the cal. 581 is notable for having a decoration unique to this watch. The Geneva stripes are modified to feature engraved channels separating the stripes, creating the impression of a sailboat’s decking. However, the devoted Breguet purist might see the addition of a tourbillon to the Marine as a departure from tradition, likely driven by the ambition to compete with comparable sports watches like the Vacheron Constantin Overseas and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak.  Abraham-Louis Breguet never incorporated a tourbillon into a marine chronom...

Certina Enters the Affordable Integrated Bracelet Sports Watch Arena with the New DS-7 Powermatic 80 Worn & Wound
Certina Enters Oct 30, 2023

Certina Enters the Affordable Integrated Bracelet Sports Watch Arena with the New DS-7 Powermatic 80

The affordable integrated bracelet sports watch wars have been waged on multiple fronts for many months at this point, and now, in a surprising development to some, they’ve hit the Swatch Group in a major way. Since its introduction, the Tissot PRX has been the standard bearer in the value driven integrated bracelet sports watch market, offering a huge variety of dial colors, sizes, and movement options at a price point that makes them compelling for collectors curious to try out what is undoubtedly still the hottest variety of sporty watch in the greater horological landscape. But now, a new challenger has emerged from within, with the introduction of Certina’s DS-7 Powermatic 80. Certina, at least in the United States, is frequently overlooked, as the brand doesn’t have significant distribution here, but they hold a key spot in the Swatch Group’s roster of brands on the more affordable side of the spectrum, and the new integrated offering here is an interesting and subtle contrast with the vaunted PRX.  The PRX is notable for its highly angular case shape, inspired by a distinctly 1980s design language. Particularly in quartz variants, it feels decidedly retro while still giving more than a whiff of Royal Oak if you just give it a quick glance. The DS-7 as seen here is a very different animal, with a much softer and rounder case shape and bracelet integration. If the PRX conjures the 1980s, the DS-7 feels more like a 1970s throwback, particularly considering som...