Results for Plongeur Hand (Lollipop)

Join Worn & Wound and Citizen Watch America for an Enthusiast Night in Salt Lake

If you’ve ever wished you could spend an evening trying on watches that normally live behind glass—or are nearly impossible to find in the first place—we’ve got good news. On Thursday, August 27, Worn & Wound is teaming up with Citizen Watch America and our friends at Morgan Jewelers for a private enthusiast event in the Salt Lake Valley, and you’re invited. Private Event Thursday, August 27, 2026 6:30–8:30 PM MT Morgan Jewelers – Center of Brilliance 6102 S State St. Murray, UT 84107 This isn’t your average watch event. We’re bringing along a curated collection of standout pieces from Citizen, Bulova, Accutron, Frédérique Constant, and Alpina—including watches that are difficult to track down, rarely seen in person, or simply deserve far more wrist time than they usually get. Everything will be out and in the metal, ready for you to pick up, strap on, obsess about, and, if one steals your heart… it’s ready for purchase. A few of the amazing highlights include: Citizen Eco-Drive Photon – Reference BJ6560-53W This limited-edition celebrates the 50th anniversary of Eco-Drive technology has a silver-tone Super Titanium with a Duratect titanium carbide finish, with a worldwide limit of only 5,000 pieces. This will be a first-time opportunity to see this watch in-person as we’re receiving it early, specifically for this event. The Citizen Hand-dyed Indigo Washi Paper Dial Limited Edition – Reference AQ4090-08A This premium, high-accuracy Eco-Driv...

Hands-On: Two Wild Dials From Ming, With The "Peepshow" and J.N. Shapiro Collaboration "Lightning"

You could easily argue that Ming is a materials and manufacturing incubator masquerading as a watch company. Lume that glows white. The lightest ever mechanical watch. The world's first 3D-printed titanium bracelet-strap hybrid. All of these are associated with pretty incredible products, but, to some extent, I think it's fair to say the watches themselves are vehicles for showcasing cool innovation. That's not to say the watches are anything but great. But on occasion they're solutions looking for a problem. I kind of love the brand for it. That kind of innovation also extends to dial making, where Ming has recently released two really interesting dial-making exercises in their collaboration with J.N. Shapiro for the 37.06 "Lightning" and standalone 29.06 "Peepshow." I recently had the chance to go hands-on with a few novelties from Ming. The brand, of course, had a great coup when the 37.09 "Bluefin" beat Tudor and a few others for the best sports watch at GPHG in 2024. They followed up with the 37.09 Uni, which I would say is their most practical release of late. The 56.00 "Starfield" is pretty wild but not to my taste, so I gravitated toward covering the two more dial-focused releases of this year (and their LW01 lightweight watch, which will get a future story on its own). It seemed fitting to start with the Ming x J.N. Shapiro 37.06 "Lightning," since I was actually photographing Shapiro's most recent release the same day. And boy, is the watch stunning in person. Th...

GRØNE Introduces the Horologium, a New Limited Edition in “Quirky” and “Classic” Variants

The GRØNE brand was introduced in the fall of 2024 at the absolute height of what I think can fairly be called the diffusion line craze. Between MB&F; with their M.A.D. Editions, Hajime Asaoka with Kurono Tokyo, and a host of others, high end watchmakers making accessible products in a well understood design language has been one of the more interesting developments across the independent watchmaking landscape over the past few years. The pace of these projects coming to market has slowed down somewhat, but that’s only helped us understand which ones are taken seriously as brands unto themselves by their founders and operators. GRØNE, I think, falls into the category of a brand that the founders, Bart and Tim Grönefeld, who also of course run their eponymously named brand, take seriously, or at least as a labor of love for their friends and family who are priced out of their largely handmade luxury watches.  The latest from GRØNE is a new three-hander in two variants, one meant to be serious and the other a little more playful. Both, I think, do a nice job of capturing the aesthetic cues of the Grönefeld brand in a way that previous efforts did not, while also acting as a showcase for the personalities of Bart and Tim.  The new Horologium is available in two variants: “Quirky” and “Classic”. The Quirky variant has a bright orange dial that points to the brand’s Dutch heritage with complementary baby blue accents. The Classic is a more refined salmon dial ...

The Perfect Laureato? Hands-On With The Girard-Perregaux Laureato Fifty With A Rose-Gold Dial

Last year, I had the honor of testing the new Girard-Perregaux Laureato Fifty in bi-color prior to its release. It’s a tricky thing to walk around with a watch that isn’t out yet, but luckily, I live in a small village where the risk of it being spotted is rather low. Back then, I was […] Visit The Perfect Laureato? Hands-On With The Girard-Perregaux Laureato Fifty With A Rose-Gold Dial to read the full article.

Hands-On Review With The Raymond Weil Millesime Small Seconds “Red Tuxedo”

Why wear black when you can stand out in red? It’s a good question, and why we went hands-on with the Red Grape Raymond Weil Millesime Small Seconds Tuxedo dial. What We Love The Red grape colour is different and gives the watch a talking point The vintage style isn’t too overt, and keeps the blend of modern and old The textures and contrasts used on the case and dial create a watch that has depth aesthetically What We Don’t The 39mm size wears nicely, but could get lost on larger wrists The grey can wash out the watch, especially on lighter skin tones The 41-hour power reserve could be improved for those who may not see this as an everyday watch Overall Rating: 8.7 / 10 Value For Money: 8.7/10 Design: 9/10 Wearability: 8.5/10 Build Quality: 8.5/10 Ever since Raymond Weil’s Millesime collection debuted in 2023, it has reshaped perceptions of Raymond Weil. Winning the GPHG Challenge Prize that year, it soon caught the attention of collectors and the general watch-buying public. The vintage style and value-driven proposition helped solidify this, not to mention the subsequent models in different colours and the addition of a chronograph. The Raymond Weil Millesime Small Seconds Mario reviewed shortly after its debut The Millesime marked the beginning of a new direction for the independent, family-owned Swiss brand and gave it another feather in its cap, so to speak, and the latest additions to the collection launched earlier this year continue that momentum. Now,...

Hands-on - The Urwerk UR-100V Lightspeed Ceramic, Poetic Time Measurement at the Speed of Light

Since its debut in 2019, the UR-100 Series has become one of Urwerk‘s most approachable and recognisable creations. “Approachable” is, of course, a relative term in terms of price, yet it is true regarding wearability. The UR-100 features the brand’s signature wandering-hour satellite display, but unlike the more extravagant EMC, UR-120 or UR-230, it packages […]

Kanoa Igarashi’s Fourth G-Shock G-LIDE Is Ready for Surf and Training

Most surf watches stop after telling you when the tide is coming in. The new G-Shock G-LIDE GBX-H5600KI-5 also checks your heart, studies your sleep and expects you to catch the next wave. Casio has released its fourth signature watch with Japanese professional surfer Kanoa Igarashi. The GBX-H5600KI-5 is based on the heart-rate-equipped G-LIDE GBX-H5600, but its brown marbled body and soft purple details give it a look that is easy to separate from the standard models. A colour scheme inspired by Portugal The mixed brown colour is inspired by the cliffs and rocky coast around Ericeira, Portugal, one of Igarashi’s training bases. Casio mixes different colours of bio-based resin during production, so the streaks and marks will not be identical on every watch. That gives each example a slightly different surface pattern without pretending that the watch is hand-finished. The lavender details are a smart contrast to the dark case. A purple vapor-deposited finish around the display is meant to recall the sea during the early morning and evening magic hours. Igarashi’s signature sits below the screen and also appears on the back. His World Surf League competition number, 50, is printed on the lower part of the band. Built for the water, but useful away from it The case measures 51.1mm long, 44.5mm wide and 17.3mm thick. That is a large watch on paper, although 47 grams is impressively light for a G-Shock with an optical heart-rate sensor. The carbon-fibre-reinforced resin ba...

The Best Affordable Field Watch Under $50? Militado vs. Rdunae Hands-On

A hands-on comparison of two affordable field watch models that deliver serious value, comfort, and convenience at under $50.

Leaving Little To The Imagination - Hands-On With The All-Exposing BA11OD Chapter 7 Skeleton

This is the answer to the not-yet-answered question, but that was going to pop up anyway: The BA11OD Chapter 7 Skeleton is both an open-worked and a skeletonized watch. You get optimal full-frontal horological nudity in a chic sporty package for a great price. This watch might tick all your boxes. Find out as I […] Visit Leaving Little To The Imagination — Hands-On With The All-Exposing BA11OD Chapter 7 Skeleton to read the full article.

Leaving Little To The Imagination - Hands-On With The All-Exposing BA111OD Chapter 7 Skeleton

This is the answer to the not-yet-answered question, but that was going to pop up anyway: The BA111OD Chapter 7 Skeleton is both an open-worked and a skeletonized watch. You get optimal full-frontal horological nudity in a chic sporty package for a great price. This watch might tick all your boxes. Find out as I […] Visit Leaving Little To The Imagination — Hands-On With The All-Exposing BA111OD Chapter 7 Skeleton to read the full article.

Hands-on - The Urban Jürgensen UJ-2, the Brand’s Sophisticated Time-Only Watch

When Urban Jürgensen returned under the stewardship of Kari Voutilainen and Alex Rosenfield, the inaugural collection naturally attracted attention with the spectacular UJ-1 Tourbillon and the sophisticated UJ-3 Perpetual Calendar. Yet, of the three models, it is perhaps the UJ-2 that best explains what the revived manufacture is looking to achieve. The UJ-2, to put […]

Casio F-B100W Brings Bluetooth and Step Tracking to the F-91W Formula

Casio has listed the F-B100W, a three-watch family that adds Bluetooth and step tracking to its uncomplicated digital formula. Japanese retailers opened preorders at ¥8,800 including tax, with release scheduled for August 2026. Prices for Europe, the UK and the US remain unannounced; the passport stamps are still pending. The official campaign image makes the pitch clear: familiar Casio digital design, now with Smartphone Link, step tracking and an amber LED backlight. That is the whole idea in one image: a familiar rectangular Casio that can correct its time through a phone and count your steps. The F-B100W-1AJF makes the clearest introduction, with a black resin case, positive LCD and blue, red and gold labels. The small step indicator above the time is the clue that this is not simply another colour of an old watch. F-B100W-1A: black resin, positive display and familiar blue-and-red Casio accents. The F-91W connection is official Casio says the front and strap design inherit the look of the F-91W, introduced in 1989. The new case measures 41.9 × 38.1 × 8.8mm and weighs 26g. An F-91W is 38.2 × 35.2 × 8.5mm and 21g, so the newcomer is larger, but only just. At 8.8mm thick, the F-B100W keeps the old-school digital silhouette pleasingly slim. On my 6.5-inch wrist, the dimensions suggest an easy, compact fit, although I have not handled one yet. The resin case, resin glass and 145–215mm strap range keep the specification familiar. The main resin parts of the band use ...

The Bovet Family: Pascal Raffy on Craft, Integrity and the Human Hand

Hands On: Berneron Quantième Annuel

After introducing the asymmetrical Mirage and then scaling it down for the Mirage 34, Berneron has changed direction for its third release. The Quantième Annuel is rigidly symmetrical — and the brand’s first complicated watch — but continues to embody the high-effort philosophy demonstrated by the brand’s debut models. That ambition extends beyond its instantaneous annual calendar mechanism to an unusual construction with replaceable steel bumpers designed to absorb everyday wear. Initial thoughts Deadpool, the titular super hero portrayed on screen by Ryan Reynolds — himself a budding watch collector — is known for his signature catchphrase, “maximum effort.” That might as well be the unofficial slogan for Berneron, a brand that has surprised collectors with the lengths it’s willing to go to get small details just right. The Berneron QA is available with silver or black dials. This was clear from the outset. When the brand made its debut with the Mirage in late 2023, collectors fawned over its full gold construction — which extends even to the spring bars — and its ovoid cal. 233 movement that takes full advantage of its asymmetrical case, which is said to follow the Fibonacci sequence. These attributes were repeated at smaller scale — small enough to require an entirely different movement — with the Mirage 34. The QA is Berneron’s third watch, and by far its most complicated. Once again, the “maximum effort” mentality is on display in all...

Talking Watches: With Michael Friedman - Former Head Of Complications At Audemars Piguet And Founder Of Pattern Recognition

There are a handful of people in the watch industry whose fingerprints are on nearly every era of watchmaking and enthusiasm, and Michael Friedman is one of them. He's been the kid in the archives of the National Watch and Clock Museum, the specialist at Christie's fielding calls from Eric Clapton, the American who moved to Switzerland to become Audemars Piguet's Head of Complications, and, as of this year, the founder of his own independent watch company. Somewhere in between, he became the answer to a trivia question about a Kendrick Lamar lyric. Friedman will tell you none of that was the plan. Instead, it's the result of a decades-long fascination with why humans decided time was worth decorating in the first place, and he's spent every job since trying to answer that question from a different angle. That fascination started at Clark University in the 1990s, not in a watchmaking program but in a psychology class, where a professor named Bernie Kaplan got Friedman thinking about pattern recognition. From there he wandered into time theory: how different cultures measured it, ordered it, gave it meaning. The throughline he kept coming back to was that objects built to track time, like water clocks, obelisks, and wristwatches, have always been embellished, regardless of what they were worth. That idea, that timekeeping and decoration are inseparable, has quietly run underneath everything Friedman has done since, from advising Clapton on vintage Patek Philippe and Rolex at...

Hands-On Review: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph Pastel Blue Brings The Fun Back

I took one of TAG Heuer’s most vibrant Formula 1 Solargraph editions out for a test drive to see whether its playful design is backed by everyday practicality. What We Love: Vibrant Pastel Blue feels refreshing and full of character Recaptures the playful spirit of the original Formula 1 Lightweight wearability and Solargraph practicality suit the fun aesthetic. What We Don’t: AUD $2,950 feels steep for a quartz TH-Polylight watch. The monochromatic design may be too niche for some. Limited strap options restrict its overall versatility. Overall Rating: 8.3/10 Value for Money: 8.3/10 Wearability: 8.5/10 Design: 8.5/10 Build Quality: 8.0/10 Few watches in TAG Heuer’s catalogue like to have fun quite like the Formula 1 Solargraphs. Originally introduced in 1986, the TAG Heuer Formula 1 editions represented a new beginning for the recently formed brand, bringing together colourful designs, lightweight construction, reliable quartz movements and an accessible price point. Original 1986 TAG Heuer Formula 1. Image reference: Magazine.Tagheuer.com The first Formula 1 editions arrived during a period when colourful quartz watches were trending, helping to reinvigorate the Swiss watch industry after the Quartz Crisis. TAG Heuer looked to join in on the fun and responded with something lightweight, accessible and closely connected to the brand’s history and heritage in motorsport. The vibrant colours and composite construction of the watches separated them from tradition...

Casio Adds Dark Blue and Grey to Its Bluetooth ABL-100 Vintage Line

Casio has officially added two fresh colours to its connected ABL-100 Vintage line. The ABL-100WE-2A arrives with a dark-blue dial surround, while the ABL-100WE-7A takes the quieter route in grey. Casio’s European pages label the pair as August 2026 releases, and both are already available through the brand’s Spanish online shop. The important point is that the colours are new; the watch and its technology are familiar. New Colours, Familiar Hardware The dark-blue ABL-100WE-2A brings a little more contrast around the positive LCD display, but it remains restrained rather than loud. The grey ABL-100WE-7A blends more closely with the silver-tone case and bracelet. Neither version is trying to reinvent Casio’s rectangular digital formula. They simply make the connected ABL-100 easier to match with different clothes, which is often all a good colour update needs to do. The ABL-100WE-2A introduces a dark-blue dial surround. Image: Casio. The chrome-plated resin case measures 41.6 mm long, 37.9 mm wide and only 8.2 mm thick. Weight is 60 grams, including the stainless-steel multi-row bracelet and adjustable clasp. A resin crystal covers the display. Those compact proportions should sit easily on my 6.5-inch wrist, although I have not handled either watch. Casio describes the model simply as water resistant, without advertising a swimming depth, so this is one retro accessory I would not volunteer for pool duty. A Step Counter Wearing Vintage Clothes An accelerometer record...

Casio Duro vs Swatch Scubaqua Sea Wasp: A Hands-On Affordable Dive Watch Comparison

Casio Duro vs Swatch Sea Wasp: a hands-on comparison of two very different affordable dive watches, from build quality and bezels to price and personality.

eBay Finds: A Great Full Set From Hamilton, Plus Vintage Watches from Omega, Bulova, and More

eBay Finds is back! This bi-weekly installment will feature a selection of watches currently listed on eBay that have caught the eye of editor Christoph McNeil (@vintagediver). If you come across any hidden gems on the ‘Bay drop us a note at info@wornandwound.com for potential inclusion. Vintage Omega   First up this week we have a nice vintage Omega presentation watch. The simple steel case is 35mm with slim, straight lugs that are crisp and unpolished. There is an award presentation engraving on the back for 25 years of service with the Dow Chemical Company, dated 1976. The dial is the classic Omega silver, with slim steel markers and hands and a day/date window at 3 o’clock. The dial is also signed with the Dow Chemical logo, which is not too common with Omegas. The crown is original and signed with the Omega symbol as it should. The Omega automatic caliber 1022 movement is clean and runs well per the seller. Really neat vintage Omega award watch. View auction here Vintage Hamilton Thin-O-Matic  Here’s another cool vintage award presentation watch, this time a Hamilton Thin-O-Matic Masterpiece from 1964. The 10k yellow gold fill case looks nice and unpolished, thin lugs. The back has an engraving for 25 years of service to the Nationwide Insurance company. The gold colored dial is clean and simple with applied gold markers and no date window. This gem comes complete with the inner and outer boxes and all the paperwork, including the instructions and guarantee pa...

Hands-on - Bell & Ross Goes Avant-Garde with the Architectural BR-X3 Micro-Rotor (Incl. Video)

We’ve come to know and love Bell & Ross for its unbridled devotion to the world of aviation and its many flight instrument-inspired watches. The recently launched BR-X3 Micro-Rotor, however, which is a less complex spin-off from last year’s BR-X3 Micro-Rotor Tourbillon, goes in an entirely different direction. It’s not tied to flight instruments, nor […]

Dive Watches Under $2,000 We’ve Reviewed and Recommend

After years of hands-on testing, these are the dive watches under $2,000 that impressed us through real ownership, not just specifications

Moser’s Repeater is Cosmic, Cylindrical, and Skeleton

While most Swiss watchmakers are taking their summer holidays, H. Moser & Cie. has unveiled the Endeavour Minute Repeater Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Cosmic Rain — the latest variant of the brand’s most complicated movement platform. The Cosmic Rain takes its name from its dial, which features mother-of-pearl inlays on an aventurine glass dial base. Devoid of a brand logo or wordmark — a long-running Moser motif — the dial effectively evokes a night sky filled with streaking comets. Initial thoughts H. Moser & Cie. is probably best known for its minimalist designs, but the Cosmic Rain’s openworked construction reveals another side of the brand. So, too, does its raden dial, which is dressed up with shimmering strips of mother-of-pearl. The Cosmic Rain is quite compact for such a complicated watch at 40 mm in diameter and 14.4 mm thick — barely larger than some time-only watches. These wrist-friendly dimensions, combined with a lightweight titanium case, should make for a comfortable wearing experience. The calibre HMC 909 features an off-centre time display that reveals both the strike train and the tourbillon, which has been elevated — literally and figuratively — with a cylindrical hairspring. Unfortunately, the vestigial centre wheel pinion is unnecessarily exposed, revealing the calibre’s roots as a movement designed for central hour and minutes hands. There’s a lot to like about the Cosmic Rain, but it’s hard to find justification for the CHF...

Did Longines Give The Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve A Modern Makeover? (Hands-On)

Longines have created a new spin on a heritage design, but have they done enough to give the unique watch a modern kick? Let’s find out! What We Love: A modern but non-generic colour & finish Universal, easy-wearing dimensions Unique heritage-inspired complication What We Don’t: Questionable lume Movement finishing somewhat lacking How new can an ‘old’ watch be? Overall Rating: 8.5/10 Value for Money: 8.5/10 Wearability: 8.5/10 Design: 8.5/10 Build Quality: 8.5/10 Heritage revivals have become a huge part of the modern watch industry. Everywhere you look, there’s another release that’s either an exact copy of, or inspired by, a design from a bygone era. While these watches have returned to varying degrees of success, they typically all share one common thread: they put their fingers on the pulse of the watch community to see which past designs have proved wildly popular, then remaster them accordingly. Longines, however, has started to behave a little differently. While the brand has found plenty of success bringing back watches from its vast archive (case in point, the Ultra-Chron) they use them as a celebration of its brand identity, inviting the watch community to celebrate alongside it. That doesn’t mean chasing what’s popular, but rather embracing what makes Longines so distinctive in a sea of sameness. Perhaps the best example of this is the Longines Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve. Inspired by a design from 1959, the watch was brought bac...

Hands-On: the Raymond Weil A.R.T. Collection

Raymond Weil celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, Weil founding his eponymous brand in 1976. And the brand’s first integrated-bracelet watch is a nod to the seventies era of experimentation: where, in the face of impending quartz dominance, watchmakers produced bold designs like they had nothing to lose. This was the era of the Patek Philippe Nautilus and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, both launching the concept of the luxury sports watch—in essence, a classier and far pricier interpretation of the Go Anywhere, Do Anything ethos that once took its inspiration from military and field watches. Only this time, going anywhere is to Monaco or St. Moritz, and doing anything is jumping off the back of a yacht into the waters of Bali.  Fifty years later, the integrated bracelet watch has never been more popular. Perhaps it’s the trickle-down effect from the cachet of those two OGs, which have taken off so much that people are willing to snap up an anniversary Nautilus desk clock, or storm your nearest Swatch store for a plastic Royal Oak. Or it’s the promise of a certain inherent and integrated toughness, eschewing the notion that we won’t ever reach 1,000-ft deep-water depths and still make it back to the boardroom. In fact, skip the beach-to-boardroom mentality. This category is all upscale by comparison, and the A.R.T. series — which, according to Raymond Weil, stands for “art, refinement, and timekeeping,” with the latter perhaps seeming redundant — captur...

This New Casio G-Shock Pilot Watch Corrects Its Own Hands After a Hit

The Casio G-Shock GRAVITYMASTER GWR-B3000 adds shock detection that re-aligns its hands after impacts. A look at the new Tough Movement, specs, and pricing.

Introducing: TAG Heuer, Team Ikuzawa, And Bamford Return With A Second Collaboration

What We Know It feels like eons ago, but it was only three years back when TAG Heuer first collaborated with Team Ikuzawa and Bamford to release a Carrera chronograph. Just like Tetsu Ikuzawa in a Porsche 906 back in 1967. Oh, how time flies. Now the trio is back with a second collaboration from the minds of Tetsu's daughter and the team's principal, Mai Ikuzawa, brought to life by Bamford and TAG Heuer. With the compact 39mm Carrera "Glassbox" shape and the team's white-and-red accents, the watch draws on Mai Ikuzawa's decades of experience blending design, fashion, and motorsports. First things first. The watch is 39mm by 13.86mm in brushed and polished stainless steel, with that domed "glassbox" crystal that magnifies the dial and creates a 3D effect on the flange. The dial is white with a really unexpected Clous de Paris finish, the Team Ikuzawa branding at 6 o'clock, just above a date window with red text, and red text for TAG Heuer and Carrera at 12 o'clock. The edge of the dial has black-printed minute markers and numerals. The 30-minute counter at 3 o'clock has an unusual pinball-and-roulette-wheel design, and the hands have touches of red with luminous filling. Even the crown has a red stripe around it—the whole thing is unabashedly bold. Inside the case is the TH20-10 movement, with an 80-hour power reserve and a 4Hz frequency. You can see the automatic movement through the caseback, but it's slightly obscured by printed branding on the caseback for Team Ikuzaw...

Hands on: Blancpain Villeret Ultraplate - now in 38mm!

The Blancpain Villeret Ultraplate is now available in 38mm. We got a quick look and here is our impressions on the salmon dial variant.

One Watch for Everything: 14 Hands-on Reviewed Picks Under $1,500

Looking for one watch that can handle nearly everything? These 14 hands-on reviewed picks balance comfort, durability, versatility, and character.

Hands On: Rolex Day-Date 40 Jubilee Gold

Twenty twenty-six has been a milestone year for Rolex, which is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its signature Oyster case with several commemorative models. While not as innovative as the enamel-dialled Daytona or as surprising as the revised Yacht-Master II, the Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 40 dresses the brand’s flagship time-only watch in a new proprietary gold alloy dubbed “Jubilee” gold and an aventurine stone dial. Initial thoughts Stone dials are everywhere, but as usual Rolex has found a way to stand out by using an unusual mineral. Most brands today source the same few varieties of stone — especially malachite and tiger’s eye — from the same few suppliers, resulting in stone-dialled watches that tend to resemble one another. But with its unusual aventurine dial and muted Jubilee gold case and bracelet, there’s no mistaking the Day-Date 40 for anything else. And this is also actually aventurine stone, rather than the more commonly used and less expensive aventurine glass. The exotic dial and proprietary alloy give the new Day-Date 40 a look that is both distinctive yet coherent with the rest of the collection. Many key Rolex models are perpetually out of stock, underscoring the brand’s commitment to value. While it might seem disingenuous to describe a US$65,700 time-only watch as a good value, the Day-Date 40 in Jubilee gold makes a case for itself. In a perfect world with on-demand availability, this would be a strong value proposition. The A. L...

Hands-on - The Dominique Renaud Pulse 60 and the Fascination of a One-Hertz Regulating Organ

Dominique Renaud hardly needs an introduction. Co-founder of Renaud & Papi, later to become Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi (APRP), he helped shape modern haute horlogerie by developing complications for Audemars Piguet, Richard Mille, A. Lange & Söhne and many others. His workshop also became a breeding ground for independent watchmaking, with Robert Greubel, Stephen […]