Results for Watch Dial Text Conventions

Selten and Collector Community Watch Ho and Co. Team Up for a New Collaboration in Tahitian Mother of Pearl

Selten impressed me earlier this year with the release of their Grand Feu Enamel series, which features deeply engraved and colorful dials made in a traditional enamelling process. Artistic, craft forward dials made from interesting materials are their stock in trade, so it’s no surprise that they seem to be flourishing at this particular moment, when there’s a real hunger among collectors for watches that offer something a little more daring. As a certified mother of pearl addict (DM me if you need help finding a support group in your area) their latest release, a collaboration with the Hong Kong based watch collecting community Watch Ho & Co caught my eye. The Jui 聚 (which translate to “to meet, to gather”) features a dramatic Tahitian mother of pearl dial that is CNC engraved to form an elaborate and complex pattern. According to Selten, the design is inspired by ancient China, and the pattern itself is lifted from a motif often used in body armor. Over time, these shapes came to symbolize strength and security, which the brand is now pitching as a testament to the bonds formed within the watch community. This of course is a guiding principle that makes a lot of sense given the collaboration with a community of watch collectors. It’s underscored by the ethos of Watch Ho & Co with an engraving on the caseback reading “Good Vibes Only.”  I’ll be honest, I’ve seen a lot of watches over the years with dials featuring abstract or obscure design motifs th...

Turning Visual Brilliance Up To Eleven With A White Gold Rolex Datejust With A Burl Wood Dial

Since we’re celebrating the 80th birthday of the Rolex Datejust, we thought it would be a good idea to have Fratello writers pick their favorite one of all time. The biggest challenge of writing an article in the tail-end of this Datejust series is that other writers have already claimed some of my favorite picks. […] Visit Turning Visual Brilliance Up To Eleven With A White Gold Rolex Datejust With A Burl Wood Dial to read the full article.

Vintage Citizen Ad Appears in Fantastic Four: First Steps, and There’s a New Watch Too

The Fantastic Four: First Steps has been in theaters for about a week as I type. I just saw it last night, after the first-weekend crowds have dissipated significantly. There’s been a great deal of conversation about the importance of this Fantastic Four film in the movie community. Marvel, it’s no secret, has been slipping a bit as of late. Their splashy superhero action films are no longer guaranteed to approach a billion dollars in revenue. Add to that, a new Superman film is also in theaters, and has been pretty well received thus far. For the first time in years, it feels like DC film adaptations might be having a moment. The conventional wisdom is that Fantastic Four needs to be huge, shepherding the MCU faithful with excitement into a big and even higher stakes Avengers film next year.  I personally didn’t care all that much for First Steps. I thought the CGI looked, well, kinda bad. And the principal characters were mostly miscast. But there were silver linings, if you looked for them. Mole Man, played by Paul Walter Hauser, is a character worthy of a spin-off if there ever was one. Please, just put this character in every MCU movie from here on out. We’re still in a multi-verse arc, so it should be pretty easy to write him into movies he otherwise doesn’t belong in. The other great strength of the movie is the production design. Unlike just about every other MCU movie, this one is effectively a standalone piece that doesn’t really require a deep famil...

Opinion: The Culture of the Royal Oak Has Overshadowed the Watch Itself

I can remember the exact moment I realized that Audemars Piguet was not the brand for me: I was listening to an episode of Hodinkee Radio in early 2019 featuring an interview with then current AP CEO François-Henry Bennahmias during which he boasted that he does not read books. For whatever skills Bennahmias has as an executive, and whatever objectively nice qualities come through in the watches made under his tenure with the brand, something about this statement immediately turned me off. In the parlance of 2025, you’d say it gave me “the ick.”  Over the last few years, I’ve thought about this moment a lot as integrated bracelet sports watch mania has waxed and waned, and my own taste has solidified somewhat. Back in 2019, my exposure to Royal Oaks was fairly limited. I basically knew what watch media and the burgeoning watch collector’s scene on Instagram told me. And the narrative, by and large, was that these were the crème de la crème of the high end, a watch that every collector should strive to own. In those days, it really was that simple: there were a handful of watches from big brands that seemed to be on everyone’s hit list at one time or another. The Submariner, the Speedmaster, the Royal Oak. It was drilled into my head, and all of our heads, that watches like this – the icons – were worthy of our universal devotion.  I eventually owned both a Speedmaster and a Submariner. Both of which, I’d eventually realize, were not for me for a vari...

The Certina DS-X GMT Might Be the Most Watch You Can Get for Under $700

The new Certina DS-X GMT combines rugged build, shock-resistant tech, and a clever dual-function bezel-all for under $700.

Why You Can’t Afford To Buy Your Watch If You Can’t Afford To Break It

GaryG's first rule when it comes to collecting is to avoid setting too many exclusionary rules. With watches, I believe that it's the passion that separates collectors from investors and accumulators. Which brings him to another rule: deriving the full enjoyment from the things you own.

‘Call F.P. Journe’: Wei Koh Dials In to Discuss the Return of Breguet Sympathique No. 1

Fratello Talks: Are Watch Brands Doing Too Much?

Every other week, we’re bombarded with an onslaught of new watches. And though we’re not too upset about it in principle, the incessant pace at which the majority of watch brands pump out new products has recently had us asking, “Are watch brands doing too much?” Today, on Fratello Talks, Nacho, Thomas, and Gerard join […] Visit Fratello Talks: Are Watch Brands Doing Too Much? to read the full article.

Six vacation destinations for the die hard watch lover

Today, we are trying out something new. And make recommendations for vacation destinations. These are locations which we are intimately familiar.

First Look – The New Rolex Oyster Perpetual 41 ref. 134300 is More Than Just its Lovely Pistachio Dial

In Rolex’s repertoire, the Oyster Perpetual was and still is the brand’s entry-level model, available in no fewer than five different sizes – 28mm, 31mm, 34mm, 36mm and 41mm. The collection, which was somehow neglected by enthusiasts, was revamped in 2020, gaining much visibility thanks to its colourful, Stella-inspired dials (and funky colours that drove […]

Introducing – A new Limited Edition Citizen Series 8 / 831 Mechanical with a Crisp Ice Blue Dial

Long reserved for the Japan Domestic Market (the famous JDM watches), the Citizen Series 8 is the brand’s take on the sporty, characterful watches made for daily use. Sharply designed with a mix of boldness, resistance and a certain contemporary elegance, the collection was given some fresh air in 2021 and became available worldwide. Since […]

First Look – The New Stowa Flieger Original, a Faithful Recreation of the Historic Pilot’s Watch

Stowa is, without a doubt, one of the most legitimate brands when it comes to Flieger watches. Founded by Walter Storz in 1927 and currently headquartered in Pforzheim, Germany, it is now part of the Tempus Arte group, which also owns Lang & Heyne. But importantly, Stowa was one of only five manufacturers allowed to […]

Swatch introduces a new MoonSwatch, but also teases a Bioceramic Wittnauer 235T and Rolex 6238

Swatch tributes the NASA flight-qualified Speedmaster ST105.003, and two other competitors.The post Swatch introduces a new MoonSwatch, but also teases a Bioceramic Wittnauer 235T and Rolex 6238 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Introducing: The Hublot Big Bang Unico Magic Ceramic - The First Production Watch Featuring Multicolored Ceramic

History repeats itself. You know of the debate about which automatic chronograph came first. Was Zenith’s El Primero, the Caliber 11 developed by Heuer, Breitling, Hamilton, and movement specialist Dubois Dépraz, or the Speedtimer by Seiko the first? Now we have a new case of “Who came first?” It involves two watches - the Hublot […] Visit Introducing: The Hublot Big Bang Unico Magic Ceramic - The First Production Watch Featuring Multicolored Ceramic to read the full article.

First Look – An Anthracite Dial for the Norqain Freedom 60 GMT Bronze

In just seven years, Norqain has consolidated its position as a producer of sporty, robust, adventure-inspired watches. Following its partnership with movement manufacture Kenissi in 2020, one of the first models to benefit from the deal was its traveller’s GMT model, the Freedom 60 GMT. Appearing with blue, green and brown dials, the latest bronze […]

WatchCharts February 2025 Secondary Watch Market Update

January 2025 saw straight declines across the board for the WatchCharts Overall Market Index which fell by -0.9%, as well as for the Rolex (-0.8%), Patek Philippe (-0.9%), and Audemars Piguet (-0.5%) indexes. These declines are comparable to what we observed a year ago in February 2024 and two years ago in February 2023.

A Travel Watch Inspired by Travelers: the J.M. LeBoy Bedouin

It’s hard to understand Budapest without being there. On its surface, it seems like any other major European capital, but in practice, Budapest is a singular experience. I was lucky enough to visit Budapest when I was 14, and what I encountered was a city replete with contradictions, one that wears its history on its sleeve, and which evokes a unique perspective. In other words, it’s exactly the sort of city where you would expect to find someone like Jake LeBoy. “I went there for vacation a few years ago and I thought, you know, I’m just going to get an apartment here,” he told me. “It’s pretty nice. And I’ve been enjoying it ever since.” Jake LeBoy, the founder and designer behind the newly launched watch brand J.M. LeBoy, expresses a similar sort of contradiction. Talking to Jake, it would be hard to guess that the remarkably chipper native Californian had served as an enlisted Marine, or that he has spent much of the time since working as a military contractor all around the world. What wasn’t hard to see was his love of watches. Soft spoken and warm, Jake is a passionate watch enthusiast, driven by detail and with a strong sense of what it means to do right by the collectors whose attention he’s looking to grab. “I’ve always been a huge watch nerd,” he explained. “Even from the time I was a little kid, I saw Goldfinger and the famous Submariner, and then I saw Jason Bourne, the first one with the TAG Heuer… that for me, dude - I final...

New: Blancpain x Swatch Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms – Pink Ocean

Swatch adds a new Blancpain collaboration Scuba Fifty Fathoms in bioceramic to their collection with a brilliant pink edition called the Pink Ocean.

Hands-on – The new Citizen Mechanical Day/Date NY4058 is a Perfect Example of a Gateway Mechanical Watch

When you read magazines like MONOCHROME, stepping into the (absolutely fascinating) world of mechanical watchmaking can be frightening. Not only can these watches be hard to understand, filled with complications and complex mechanical devices, but the prices at which most luxury watches are offered generate a “glass ceiling” effect that’s hard to break. There is […]

Hot Take: Living “La Vie En Rose” With The New Blancpain × Swatch Scuba Fifty Fathoms Pink Ocean

Last January, Swatch introduced the crowd-pleasing, all-black Scuba Fifty Fathoms Ocean of Storms. Just one month ago, in early December, the Blue Lagoon model made its debut. In 2025, Swatch is looking at life through rose-tinted glasses as it introduces this latest iteration in the SFF lineup. Meet the bright and bold Blancpain × Swatch […] Visit Hot Take: Living “La Vie En Rose” With The New Blancpain × Swatch Scuba Fifty Fathoms Pink Ocean to read the full article.

Daan’s Watch Resolutions For 2025 - Adding More Contemporary Watches Into The Mix

Happy New Year, everyone. I wish you all the best for 2025. Have you already thought about your watch resolutions for the year ahead? Are you reorganizing, consolidating, splurging on new additions, or simply going to enjoy what you already have? I think my year will be some combination of those four. However, maybe I […] Visit Daan’s Watch Resolutions For 2025 - Adding More Contemporary Watches Into The Mix to read the full article.

Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch Owner Review: The Good, The Bad, The Complicated

The Omega x Swatch Speedmaster MoonWatch was one of the biggest product launches of the decade. Raman Kalra eventually managed to get his hands on one and shares his thoughts here.

Recap – 100 Years of Citizen, A Splendid Commemorative Pocket Watch and some clues on what to expect in the future

“Watches made for all citizens.” This is why major Japanese brand Citizen is named as it is. There is a reason behind this international and easy-to-remember name, which goes way beyond just a marketing motto. The brand philosophy can be resumed, and I quote brand manager Yoshihisa Yajima that “no matter who you are or […]

Is that dial enamel, porcelain, ceramic, or all of the above?

Trying to tell the difference between a porcelain and enamel dial can be tricky, but there are a few key differences you need to know.The post Is that dial enamel, porcelain, ceramic, or all of the above? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Introducing: Serica Gets On The Shaped Watch Trend With The New Reference 1174 'Parade'

The brand that you know for their tool-oriented watches expands their lineup in a bold, surprising, attractive new way.