Two Broke Watch Snobs
Marathon’s Military Dive Watch Goes Titanium for the First Time
Marathon and Watches of Espionage team up for a limited Titanium SAR with a Grade 5 titanium case and an upgraded 65-hour automatic movement.
20,294 articles · 166 videos found · page 231 of 682
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Marathon and Watches of Espionage team up for a limited Titanium SAR with a Grade 5 titanium case and an upgraded 65-hour automatic movement.
Worn & Wound
Héron, the Montreal-based microbrand that had a legitimate hit on its hands with the release of the Mirabel GMT last year, is back with their take on the classic “go anywhere, do anything” sports watch, met with the brand’s typically refined design codes. Héron exists at a time when the straight up vintage inspired watches that dominated the scene a decade ago are fading in popularity, but they remain distinct and relevant for putting a truly personal and distinctive spin on the genre. These are not recreations of well known vintage references, but seem to exist in that type of “alternate reality” space imagined by brands like Serica, Albishorn, and others. There’s just a little extra charm to these watches that sets them apart, and make them feel like they aren’t part of a playbook. The new Héron Continental is, according to the brand, inspired by watches worn “during the great age of exploration.” They want us to think of early transcontinental flights, mountaineering expeditions, and important midcentury scientific breakthroughs. This, of course, is not new ground for watch brands. Many that existed during this age of exploration remind us of it on a regular basis, and newer brands do their best to conjure. To Héron’s credit, they make their inspiration explicit in their press materials, citing watches like the Rolex Explorer, Universal Geneve Polerouter, and Longines Conquest as touchpoints. But the Continental is its own thing, borrowing cert...
Monochrome
Grönefeld, the Dutch independent watchmaking atelier created by Tim and Bart Grönefled, a.k.a. The Horological Brothers, should need little introduction by now. The duo gained recognition from their peers and collectors with their GTM-06, One Hertz and Parallax Tourbillon models, all celebrated watches that introduced several signature design elements and functions, such as movements with […]
Monochrome
Relaunched in 2020 under Guillaume Laidet’s creative direction (also behind the Vulcain and Space One brands), now-100-year-old Nivada Grenchen has focused on historical models, updating vintage references without losing their original character. Alongside the Antarctic and the Chrononomaster collections, the F77, inspired by the integrated sports watches of the 1970s, leads the pack. It returned […]
Monochrome
Girard-Perragaux‘s involvement in the world of sports cars and Formula 1 isn’t new. Back in the 1990s, the brand conceived multiple watches in partnership with Ferrari and, more recently, sponsored the Aston Martin F1 Team (from 2021 to 2025). For the 2026 season, the watchmaker from La Chaux-de-Fonds is back on the starting grid. This […]
Fratello
Héron has slowly been expanding its catalog. Earlier this year, the young Montreal-based brand introduced updated versions of its Marinor dive watch, which Mike reviewed. Now, Héron is introducing the completely new Continental collection. It’s a series of three vintage-inspired sports watches that work well for daily wear thanks to their modern execution. I got […] Visit Channeling My Inner Explorer With The Brand-New Héron Continental to read the full article.
SJX Watches
The charming and compact Lady B extends Blancpain’s collection of elegant ladies watches while upholding the brand’s longstanding commitment to mechanical calibres. At just 19 mm in size and almost spherical in form, the Lady B contains an upmarket automatic movement that transcends the quartz-powered norms for this segment of watchmaking. Initial thoughts The Lady B is the spiritual successor to the Ladybird Bullet, which introduced the world’s smallest round mechanical movement when it debuted 70 years ago under the leadership of Betty Fiechter, the first woman to lead a major Swiss watch brand. The “round” qualifier is important because the smallest mechanical movement — then, as now — was the Jaeger-LeCoultre cal. 101, which is still in production but in extremely limited numbers, and reserved for high jewellery collections. The Lady B (left) with the original Ladybird Bullet from 1956 The Lady B is larger than the vintage Bullet, but at just 19 mm it’s still small enough that the size is the main point of intrigue. The watch is almost spherical being 13 mm thick, but rather than feeling too thick this aspect gives the watch a charming bead-like feel similar to the original Bullet. The spherical feel is completed by the absence of conventional lugs; the Lady B instead features a pass-through channel for a selection of interchangeable straps. This hypothetically allows multiple Lady B’s to be “stacked” on the same strap for a jewellery-like look, b...
Monochrome
MeisterSinger’s single-hand watches draw on an old tradition: clocks were often equipped with just one hand, giving the wearer a broader, less hurried reading of the day. Over the years, the German brand that celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2026, has applied this concept to everything from simple time-only watches to models with jumping hours, […]
Fratello
Ask watch fans about typical Panerai characteristics, and one of the first things they’ll mention is size. The watches’ large cases have become synonymous with the brand, along with Panerai’s iconic design style, sandwich dials, and the signature crown-protection bridge. But what if you like the Luminor but can’t pull off a 44mm or 47mm […] Visit Exploring New Territory With The 42mm Panerai Luminor PAM01710, PAM01711, And PAM01714 to read the full article.
Time+Tide
The doors just closed on our most ambitious event yet; FounderFest. Seven watches across three events in Melbourne, London and NYC.
Monochrome
Lang & Heyne has practised the Saxon approach to independent watchmaking since 2001, working near Dresden and offering watches that combine classical German design with highly elaborate hand-finishing. The manufacture names its collections after figures from the House of Wettin, the Saxon dynasty with an 800-year history in the region. The Friedrich III, originally introduced more […]
Icons are icons for a reason. Some watches deserve the moniker, no question about it. But quite often, an icon casts a long shadow on other interesting timepieces in a brand’s catalog. The original Genta-designed Audemars Piguet Royal Oak has always overshadowed the Royal Oak Offshore. Due to the Offshore’s large size, bold styling, and […] Visit Shadow Icons: The Underappreciated References — Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore to read the full article.
Time+Tide
Of the three new models released at Watches and Wonders, I believe there is more joy to be found in the simplest of them.
Monochrome
Pocket watches were born in the early 16th century in Germany (Nuremberg eggs) but were very expensive, handmade curiosities that kept horrible time and were composed of components unique to each piece. Replacement parts had to be custom-made, and manufacturing times were long – it could take a year to produce a single watch. This dynamic […]
Worn & Wound
Think about where we are in watchmaking in 2026. You could argue, pretty reasonably I think, that the problem of chronometry has basically been solved. We have access to mechanical watches that are accurate to seconds per month, and quartz watches that are accurate to seconds per year. There are advancements around the edges (Grand Seiko’s new U.F.A. movement comes to mind, the most accurate watch powered by a mainspring, accurate to 20 seconds per year), but it’s hard to imagine an advancement in timekeeping at this point that would actually be meaningful in our daily lives. For movement geeks, sure, shaving off seconds here and there will always be a fun new development, but for many we’ve reached a point of diminishing returns, where all that really matters are bragging rights by the brands (and those matter a lot – big marketing campaigns are built around them). So where do the advancements come from in the years ahead? Many people with a lot more experience in this industry than me have discussed materials science as the next big step for watch brands, and we’ve certainly seen a lot of alternative materials used in cases and movements over the last few years. Once you go beyond the traditional steel, titanium, and precious metals that watch cases are normally made from, you open yourself up to manufacturing and creative options that are typically encountered across other industries, like the aerospace sector and medical manufacturing. The UK based brand ...
Hodinkee
Congrats on making it through another week, Baller, and your reward, sadly, is not more information about an extraordinary new Rolex, nor is it a pretty fantastic video with a legendary rapper, but instead just a quick roundup of some excellent watches out waiting for new owners. Scorekeeping last week's picks, the Smiths DeLuxe sold for 6,000 GBP, the Smiths W10 for €1,400, the Gübelin 18k triple-date moonphase remains available, the Universal Genève FS went for 600 GBP, and the Autavias sells today. Strays Photo courtesy of Drouot. If you've been holding onto an old steel chronograph pusher cap and don't know the case it works with, maybe have a look at this Heuer chronograph (presumably ref. 2444) and consider the JLC Memovox in the same lot an added bonus. Speaking of Memovox (I'm not guessing the plural of that noun), this sure checks a few boxes should you find yourself in the market for a lovely vintage example. I covered a Hamilton Cross Country a few weeks back, and here's a similar example if that one managed to get its hooks in you. For the Beatles mega-fan in your life, this Old England Apple watch is unlikely to be something they've seen (it's also unlikely to sell for less than 3x the €200 high estimate). This Vacheron Constantin 2045 is just lovely; this Corum bears a shocking resemblance to David Bowie's 1979 SNL performance look, and if there's a cooler tropicalized Carrera up for auction this week than this one, I didn't see it. Omega Suverän You'r...
Monochrome
First presented in 2015, the Tudor North Flag was an important watch for the brand. It introduced a new design, drawing on the angular, exploration-inspired character of the 1970s Ranger II, but its real significance was mechanical: it was the first Tudor fitted with a manufacture movement (calibre MT5621), itself the first Tudor movement visible […]
Time+Tide
Henry Cavill tells us his favourite Longines watches, his philosophy on wearing watches, clean versus busy dials, and more.
Worn & Wound
More commonly found in the sky than the field, Stowa watches are well known for their lineup of classic Pilot’s watches. They’ve branched out a bit over the years, but the Pilot lineup is what comes to mind for me most often when thinking about the brand. Today, we’re taking a look at their modern take on the field watch, aptly named the Fieldwatch Terra. The Terra comes in at 38mm, features a PVD coated steel case, and an impressive spec sheet that makes for an excellent watch to complement your EDC. Let’s take a closer look. $950 Review: the Stowa Fieldwatch Terra Case PVD coated stainless steel Movement Sellita SW 200 Dial textured matte green Lume white and orange SuperLuminova Lens Sapphire Strap woven elastic nylon Water Resistance 200 meters Dimensions 38 x 46.9mm Thickness 11.5mm Lug Width 20mm Crown screw down Warranty yes Price $950 Case Measuring in at a very comfortable 38mm wide by 46.9mm lug-to-lug, the Terra complements my 6.75” wrist nicely. The compact proportions are balanced out by the relatively large, wide open, and highly legible dial. Now that I’m thinking about it a little bit more, the watch probably wears bigger than the measurements imply, and that’s due to the slim outer bezel and large dial. More on that later. The case itself is crafted from stainless steel and then treated with a dark grey PVD coating. PVD stands for physical vapor deposition — it’s a technique that turns a solid material (the coating) into a vapor, and then...
Monochrome
Czapek launched the Promenade collection in 2024, an elegant line of compact, time-only dress watches that, in the words of CEO Xavier de Roquemaurel, serve as a “canvas for creative expression.” The latest addition to the family is the Promenade L’Écume des Jours, a tribute to the 1947 novel by French author Boris Vian, translated into […]
SJX Watches
Daniel Roth’s svelte time-only watch remains compact but gains presence with the Extra Plat Rose Gold Gilt. While it is just a cosmetic update, the black dial with “gilt” markings create a high contrast look that is unusual for ultra-thin dress watches. The formal aesthetic on the front is matched by the DR002 on the reverse. Made by La Fabrique du Temps (LFT), the DR002 is a constructed and finished to a high level, continuing the philosophy of the revived Daniel Roth brand, which has been to recreate historical models, but enhanced superior, proprietary movements. Initial thoughts Style wise the Extra Plat is essentially a remake, albeit with nips and tucks to the design. The tweaks to the design are thoughtful but minimal, and preserve the original design. This is not a groundbreaking creation, but it is handsome and intrinsically appealing. This specific iteration is the best looking of the Extra Plat collection to date. The gold-on-black livery is striking. Unlike earlier versions of the model that are more conventional in colours, this is a more powerful combination, but still remains a formal dress watch. Moreover, the “gilt” dial itself is more complex than it appears: the gold markings are not print but instead the solid gold dial base below showing through the black coating. This illustrates the impressive manufacturing quality of Daniel Roth in general, or more specifically LFT. The Extra Plat retails for CHF55,000, which is competitive in today’s hi...
Worn & Wound
Watch collaborations have saturated the market in recent years, but when I heard Jeff Koons was getting involved in designing a model, my ears perked up. His Celebration series featuring his Balloon Dog sculptures makes up one of the most memorable works of art to emerge in my lifetime as a child of the 90s. I wasn’t surprised this would be the source of inspiration for the watches he’d create. The artist and self-proclaimed weirdo in me has always appreciated the daring and disruptive nature of Koons’ creations, but to the masses, they’ve been polarizing. It was clear that his approach to design wouldn’t be the right fit for just any watch brand – it would need to be with a maker who was equally daring, disruptive, and perhaps even polarizing itself. Enter Hublot, who has long received scrutiny for its audacious models that buck Swiss tradition. “I remember maybe about 15 years ago, I was at an event for the Louis Vuitton Foundation, and I had a conversation with Bernard Arnault,” Koons recalls. “He said, ‘you know, Jeff, you should make a watch,’ but we never did. Years later, our sons became friends, and Frederic said to my son Sean, ‘your dad should make a watch – Hublot has a lot of interest in partnering with him.’ And I was really excited about this idea of working with new materials and working with time.” All that said, the goal has never been a shock factor – it’s about authenticity – Koons’ identity as an artist and Hublo...
Monochrome
Hajime Asaoka, the celebrated Japanese master watchmaker, is renowned for his bespoke, high-end handmade watches. Aware that his pieces are beyond the reach of most mortals, Asaoka created Kurono Tokyo, a small independent brand that offers more accessible watches with Seiko or Miyota movements, imbued with a strong Japanese spirit. However, Kurono’s success means its […]
Fratello
Recently, Lex wrote an article asking, “When are watches art?” Of course, there wasn’t a clear answer, as “art” is often an ungraspable concept. However, every once in a while, Benoît Mintiens makes the dial of a Ressence watch available to an artist dear to the Belgian brand. In doing so, he tries to blur […] Visit Get Lost In Ressence’s New Type 9 Art Watch By Belgian Artist Jules Wittock to read the full article.
Monochrome
Some watches have shaped the perception we have of a brand in a striking way. At Grand Seiko, if we look at more recent times, the Spring Drive Snowflake SBGA211 is one of these watches. Some, however, did this in a far more discreet way, but nevertheless helped write the story. You can think of […]
Fratello
When it comes to vintage watches, few brands have as much depth as Rolex. Over more than a century, the company has produced an enormous range of models, references, and variations that have become firmly established among collectors. From tool watches built for specific purposes to understated everyday models, there’s plenty to explore beyond the […] Visit Fratello Talks: Our Favorite Vintage Rolex Models to read the full article.
Hodinkee
I'll admit it, Geneva Watch Days is one of my favourite times in the city. It's when our industry reunites after a long, heatwave-themed summer to meet friends from all corners of the watch world and get hands-on with the latest pieces from some of the hottest and most interesting brands. And that's the thing about this summer show: while Watches & Wonders draws our attention to the larger players, Geneva Watch Days lets us take a breather, slow this rapidly moving industry right down, and spend time with watches and brands of all sizes. Don't get me wrong, Bvlgari, Zenith, Daniel Roth, Girard Perregaux, MB&F;, and Breitling attend, but its city-centered format and later date on the calendar mean there's much more time to see smaller names and discover new ones. The 2026 edition set a new record with 71 participating brands, unveiling nearly 400 new releases. More than 2,500 private clients, collectors, and watch enthusiasts attended, alongside more than 500 international media and content creators. However, this year's edition drew 15,000 people in total, down from last year's peak of 17,000. News from the brands exhibiting was certainly plentiful and felt increasingly significant compared to previous iterations of the show (Breitling's House of Brands used the show to unveil Gallet to the world, and MAD Editions by MB&F; announced the MAD 3 - more on those in a moment). Yet on more than one occasion, conversations centered around how the show felt a little quieter than pre...
Fratello
About two weeks ago, during Geneva Watch Days, I visited the Singer atelier in Geneva. It’s a beautiful place, slightly hidden on a street near the lake, where Singer Reimagined works on its watches. There, I got a first glimpse of what the brand introduced today — the Singer Reimagined 1970 DualTrack. The Singer Reimagined […] Visit Singer Reimagined Keeps The GMT Hits Coming With The 1970 DualTrack to read the full article.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
From everyday field watches to chronographs and dressier pieces, water resistance matters less than many collectors think.
Monochrome
While Glashütte Original‘s Seventies collection has become associated with its bold, square-shaped chronographs, the German manufacture also once offered Seventies Panaroma Date models without the chronograph function. Revisiting the decade with a substantially reworked watch, the brand returns to that time-and-date simplicity and presents the new 70s collection of integrated sports watches, alongside the existing […]
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