Hodinkee
Weekend Edition: A Primer on Dress Watches (Which Are Coming Back In Style Right About...Now)
There's more to life than steel sport watches.
Results for Bauhaus (Watch Design)
22,448 articles · 223 videos found · page 273 of 756
Hodinkee
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Scurfa Watches Review: Wish I Tried This Watch Brand Sooner
For under $300 is Scurfa Watches the full package? Get all the facts, details, and unique photos you need to make the best choice right here!
Deployant
Throwback Sundays: Six Independent Watchmakers which you should know, but may not
Six Independent Watchmakers who you may not know: Ch. Frodsham, McGonigle, Petermann-Bédat, Sylvian Pinaud, Tulloch and James C. Pellaton.
Revolution
Precious Dozen: Net-a-Porter Begins Retailing Audemars Piguet with 12 Selected Pieces
In another point scored for contactless luxury retailing, Net-a-Porter now offers Audemars Piguet watches, starting with 12 in precious metals.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Ep. #104 Black Friday Wish Lists & 2 Years of TBWS
Kaz and Mike celebrate 2 years of TBWS and share a handful of watches they hope to see discounted during the wave of Black Friday sales. What do you have your eye on this year? Be sure to share the watches you're hoping to hunt down this holiday season.
Deployant
Baselworld 2018 Chief Editor’s Choice: Top 5 watches which may blow your budget.
The Chief Editor makes his picks from the crop of Baselworld 2018 watches. All likely to cause heart palpitations from your bank manager. Selection from Rolex, Grand Seiko, Andreas Strehler, H. Moser and Patek Philippe.
Revolution
Christmas Wish List: Suzanne Wong, Revolution Technical Editor at Large
Suzanne’s note to Santa isn’t just a list of watches, but a list of watches in very specific case/strap/dial combinations. Rudolph had better be good at helping take quick notes; just ONE day to Christmas now!
Fratello
The New Nodus Obscura II — Helping You Take Great Pictures With An Exposure Gauge Complication
Nodus is one of the most interesting young watch companies today. Along with offering a regular collection of excellent, affordable tool watches, the Los Angeles-based brand has created the Nodus Design Lab for its more experimental collaborative efforts. A great example is the brilliant Trailtrekker that I reviewed in 2024. Another standout collaboration was last […] Visit The New Nodus Obscura II — Helping You Take Great Pictures With An Exposure Gauge Complication to read the full article.
WatchAdvice
Hands-On With A. Lange & Sohne’s 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar Pink Gold
A. Lange & Söhne’s 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar brings together high complications, vintage-inspired design and a stunning pink-gold dial in one deeply romantic expression of haute horlogerie! What We Love Traditional pocket watch inspired vintage case design Pink gold dial suits this model perfectly and captures it in the best light Two romantic high-complications of rattrapante and perpetual calendar are showcased beautifully What We Don’t No lume for low-light legibility The case thickness may be large for some This classic pocket-watch inspired design may not be practical for daily wear Overall Rating: 9.4 / 10 Value for Money: 9.5/10 Wearability: 9/10 Design: 9.5/10 Build Quality: 9.5/10 The A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar is one of those timepieces that immediately reminds you why the Saxon manufacture is held in such high regard. It brings together so much of what makes German watchmaking special, but does so in a way that leaves you genuinely in awe. I recently did a video on this watch, sharing my thoughts on what makes it so special, and my opinion still has not changed: this is easily one of my top three favourite models from the brand. But enough of me drooling over it, let’s get into what makes this timepiece so remarkable. The A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar was first introduced in 2013 as a milestone in Lange’s modern chronograph history. As the name suggests, the timepiece brings together a rat...
Fratello
Panerai Launches The Rugged Yet Reined-In Submersible Navy SEALs PAM01738
Panerai continues its official partnership with the U.S. Navy SEALs with a new Submersible. The watch’s 44mm stainless steel case has the brand’s characteristic cushion shape and a matte black ceramic unidirectional bezel. Following the ultra-limited Afniotech Experience model, this release extracts key design cues in a more grounded steel package. Crucially, PAM01738 skips the […] Visit Panerai Launches The Rugged Yet Reined-In Submersible Navy SEALs PAM01738 to read the full article.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Farer Goes Hand-Wound with a 38mm Racing Chronograph in Three Colorways
The new Farer Racing Chronograph pairs a hand-wound Sellita movement with 1960s racing watch design cues across three colorways.
Hodinkee
Introducing: Amida Digitrend OSII Black - Now With Lume (Live Pics)
What We Know Amida keeps finding new ways to update and reinvent the classic Digitrend driving watch. When we last heard from the brand, they had fashioned a model inspired by the NASA space shuttle missions, a timepiece that demonstrated the range of design and development possibilities of the Digitrend format, which first debuted in the pre-shuttle era way back in 1976 at Basel. Now, it seems, Amida has seen the light. Or rather, it's seen the way to add luminescence material to an open-worked version of the digital jump hour timepiece with the Digitrend OSII Black. Featuring an open sapphire hood showing the DLC-coated workings of the movement and Amida's in-house developed jump hour module, the new model uses an LRD or 'light reflecting display' utilizing prismatic technology that illuminates the digital numerals via Super-LumiNova, for the first time. The Digitrend has never been a watch for everyone. It's quirky, and its time-reading display is unusual, to say the least. But the addition of lume certainly adds to its functionality and represents a welcome upgrade for this new edition that is limited to 150 pieces and goes on sale today on Amida's website. The brand and co-founder Matthieu Allègre say the ongoing improvements, revisions, and tweaks to the Digitrend model line shouldn't be seen as merely more refined or robust versions of the original. Rather, they're designing and producing the model as it would have evolved had the original brand not been am...
Worn & Wound
Ulysse Nardin Debuts a New Generation of Freak X
One of the more interesting phenomenons in higher end watches is taking a bold, brash, complex design and deciding to make it simpler and more streamlined. You could argue that this goes against the whole point of such a design, but of course it’s a way for a brand to draw additional, perhaps less adventurous, customers. It also makes for a watch that is more approachable from a financial perspective as well, which is an additional added benefit if you’re trying to grow your customer base of exotic watch buyers used to six figure Super Watches. The Freak X is maybe my favorite example of this. It begs the impossible question: what is a more sedate Freak, exactly, and why would we want one? I’m a huge Freak fan. It’s importance in the avant-garde and independent watchmaking world simply cannot be underestimated. But, I think we all have to admit, it’s a tough watch to get your arms around in its traditional Freak form. It’s crownless, dial-less, hand-less, and is that rare watch that truly does need a bit of an explainer to the uninitiated. It’s not immediately intuitive. The Freak X attempts to solve this by cloaking the Freak in the guise of a normal watch, at least to the extent that’s even possible. Ulysse Nardin has just introduced a new generation of the Freak X, coinciding with the Freak’s 25th anniversary. It’s a complement of sorts to the Super Freak, the freakiest Freak ever, unveiled earlier this year at Watches & Wonders. The new Freak X ...
Hodinkee
Introducing: The Vulcain Cricket Titanium
What We Know Since Vulcain's revival in 2022 under the helm of Guillaume Laidet, a name familiar to most here thanks to his hand in brands like Nivada Grenchen and SpaceOne, it's steadily cranked out watches under a few collections, from skin divers to chronographs, and most importantly, its iconic design that is the Cricket alarm watch. While these modern Crickets have largely remained faithful in spirit to their predecessors, today marks a new limited edition from Vulcain with a contemporary twist: the Vulcain Cricket Titanium. The name kind of gives everything away here, with titanium being the main focus of this new run of 100 pieces. The 39mm case, in its slightly upsized modern form, is made this time in grade 5 titanium, polished throughout. The dial is also in titanium, with a stamped guilloché effect paired with white printing for a minutes track and applied indices. The handset comes in a variety of colors, with the skeletonized dauphine minute and hour hands paired with a black seconds hand, and a metallic nickel-plated alarm hand with a blackened arrow tip that points to the printed track to better set your alarm time. But that's not where the titaniumification (I'm going to pretend that's a real word) ends. Here, the Le Locle-assembled and manually-wound Vulcain Cricket Calibre V14 is also produced from titanium movement blanks, meaning that the titanium theme translates all the way to the inside of the watch and can be seen through the exhibition caseback. S...
Monochrome
Introducing – The Boutique-Exclusive Maen Manhattan 37 Ultra Thin Blue Fumé Edition
The Manhattan series is an important collection for Maen, being an integrated-bracelet sports-watch design series with an increasingly refined execution at an accessible price. Last year, the Swedish brand with Dutch roots introduced the Manhattan 37 Ultra Thin, a slimmer and more elegant interpretation of its popular collection, powered by a hand-wound movement. Now, Maen […]
Hodinkee
The Business of Watches Podcast: Q & A Episode - Your Business Questions Answered By The Hodinkee Team
This week on The Business of Watches, we take your questions on the business of timekeeping. We're joined by a swath of the Hodinkee team, including Editor-in-Chief James Stacey, Senior Editor Mark Kauzlarich, and Hodinkee Editor TanTan Wang. We're answering your questions and marking 30 episodes of BoW. You submitted some excellent questions, including how changes in 3D printing technology will impact watch movement manufacturing, whether watch brands consider enthusiasts' preferences in their design and release schedules, and what the future of multi-brand watch boutiques looks like. There's plenty of watch business and strategy to discuss, and we hope you enjoy the conversations. Be sure to leave any thoughts or questions in the comments section, and we'll do our best to respond. Want to subscribe so you never miss an episode? This new show is being published to the original Hodinkee Podcasts feed, so you can subscribe wherever you find your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or TuneIn. Show Notes1:18 F.P. Journe Souscription Chronomètre à Résonance Achieves $13.9 Million – Becomes Fifth Most Expensive Wristwatch Ever Sold (Hodinkee)2:35 Kari Voutilainen 2:47 Marteau: The Heat Wave4:08 The Barrelhand Monolith Has Landed (Hodinkee) 11:45 Ming Polymesh (Hodinkee) 12:40 Seiko Watch Corporation President Akio Naito (The Business of Watches) 13:10 Peanuts Watches by Citizen (collectpeanuts.com) 15:03 Timex 15:50 We Criticize The Wrong Thing When We Attack ...
Worn & Wound
J.N. Shapiro Introduces the Radiant, a Monopusher Chronograph and an Expansion of their Infinity Series
It’s easy to think of J.N. Shapiro as a brand largely focused on a style of watchmaking from an earlier generation. But that’s a trap. While the design language is rooted in classicism and J.N. Shapiro prides itself on the highest level execution of traditional guilloche, the brand has also been open to experimenting with materials in a way that many other contemporary indies have embraced to great success in recent years. Their new watch, the Radiant, enters the Infinity Series with a host of exotic materials at its core, and the watch serves as a reminder that while J.N. Shapiro is capable of doing things in an old school way, and might lean into that at times, the brand is not opposed to taking a modern perspective on some of these old fashioned ideas. J.N. Shapiro’s Southern California manufacture sits at the heart of the American aerospace industry, and that connection serves as a loose inspiration for the Radiant, a new monopusher chronograph that is a bit of a sequel to their first chrono, released just last year in a very small run for Escapement, a Boston area collector’s group. Watches that are linked to aerospace are nothing new, but usually watches in this genre are conceived as fit for an astronaut, or something along those lines (there’s been a glut of space-travel oriented watches just this year, from IWC, Bremont, and others). J.N. Shapiro takes a different approach, focusing on materials that are closely tied to the industry and have unique app...
Worn & Wound
Review: the OG Deep Space Blue
There’s a riskiness to Oliver Gallaugher’s approach to watch design that I can’t help but admire. His aesthetic is clean, lending a stripped-down, contemporary look, but his methods are complex, resulting in elaborate manufacturing and higher costs. What looks, at a glance, like something simple, like a hand, never is. In fact, the hands of his watches, of which there have been two series, with the first sold out, are notably complicated, even featuring a “world’s first.” Further, though his watches are two-handers, rather than using a standard Swiss off-the-shelf movement, he has, thus far, used highly finished bespoke calibers. The result, and here is the dangerous part, is watches that don’t scream why they cost what they do. They aren’t for people who want or need an obvious element to point to, like a guilloche dial or a complication. The OG Watches Deep Space Blue is both a follow-up and an evolution of the Deep Space concept that the brand debuted with. It takes the same overarching concept, a minimal watch with a dial inspired by the night sky, but developed and refined seemingly every element, stripping back further, and yet increasing the complexity of manufacturing. It also uses a bespoke movement from Le Temps Manufactures, which is known for its work with very high-end independents. Beginning with the case, the first model was 41mm x 10.2mm thick and made of 316L steel. The new model is 38mm x 8.8mm and made of 904L. Given the spacious dial and...
Monochrome
Introducing – The Electrifying Dial of the Ming x J.N. Shapiro 37.06 Lightning
Indie watch brand Ming was founded by Malaysian photographer, designer and engineer Ming Thein in 2017. Since then, Ming has amassed a devoted following for its contemporary design-led watches distinguished by minimalism, luminescence, layering and colour. The latest 37.06 Lightning, a joint project between Ming and J.N. Shapiro Watches, a Los Angeles-based watchmaker, is the […]
Hodinkee
The Business of Watches Podcast: Studio Underd0g Founder Richard Benc
This week on The Business of Watches, we're talking to the man behind one of the more successful new watch brands in recent years, Studio Underd0g. Richard Benc is just 33, and since 2020, he's built his irreverent, approachable-priced, design-driven brand to a significant size, producing about 14,000 watches last year. Richard Benc (Photo Courtesy Studio Underd0g). And he's done it all, not from Switzerland or Hong Kong, but from the U.K. Benc has grown his business with intent, making strategic investments in his supply chain, including buying full control of the assembly and after-sales service company that builds Studio Underd0g's distinct timepieces. Studio Underd0g is now the biggest assembler of mechanical watches in the U.K. and isn't only selling watches with drops and collabs, but is building up stock to make more watches available on its website. Next up for Benc and his brand is a new physical, public, and retail location. The 'D0ghouse' will open in Maidenhead this month and serve as a public showcase for the upstart brand and its operations. It's another big step for the company that comes with its own set of fresh opportunities and challenges. And Benc gives us a tease on what may be coming next - there will be a new 04Series of watches that will take the brand to a place it hasn't been (mechanically) before. But first, some watch industry business news headlines, including secondary market price rises, executive moves at the big auction houses, an...
Hodinkee
Introducing: The Aria Manufacture Chronometer From Formex
What We Know The last time I covered something from Formex was over a year ago, when the brand released a highly finished, full-ceramic sports watch, complete with a ceramic bracelet and even a ceramic micro-adjust clasp, at an unrivaled price point. Today, the brand continues its upmarket trend with a brand-new watch design called the Aria. The Aria takes the form of a broad, integrated-bracelet design in full grade 5 titanium. The 40mm case feels broader than normal, thanks to an impressively thin case height of 6.9mm, even though the lug-to-lug is still quite reasonable at 45.45mm. While the silhouette gives a smooth look, there's quite a bit of contrasting finishing going on here, with brushing of the titanium case and bracelet links done entirely by hand. Though the styling certainly leans towards its identity as a bold sports watch, there's a lot of subtlety in the design, for example, with the individual bracelet links being slightly curved or the extra dimensionality of the layer of titanium peeking out from each link's milled-out spaces. The clasp includes Formex's proprietary micro-adjust system, which provides extra space on both sides of the bracelet by pulling or pushing each side. There are three dials for the Aria: "Selva Green," "Ardesia Grey," and "Denso Blue." All three have a certain muted look to the hue, matching the slightly darker nature of titanium. Dimensionality is achieved through contrasting indices in rose-gold coloring, set on applied raised p...
Monochrome
Introducing – The Bell & Ross BR-05 Chrono S.T. Dupont, Merging Gold and Cigars
Cars have inspired watches for decades, and pilot watches are literally a category of their own – even video games and roulette tables have found their way into watch design. Cigars, however, remain a far less common source of inspiration, although Bell & Ross is no stranger to this theme. Over the past two decades, […]
Hodinkee
Introducing: Dennison + Collectability Edition Oblique Collection
What We Know The revived and relaunched Dennison brand that returned in 2024 and snagged a GPHG award with its debut, the quartz-powered stone-dial ALD Collection, is back with a fresh take on the retro design-driven model. Marking its second collaboration with U.S.-based Patek Philippe vintage specialist Collectability and its founder, John Reardon, the Dennison + Collectability 2026 Edition Oblique Collection brings designer Emmanuel Gueit's interpretation of asymmetric watch design, recalling Patek timepieces, including its Ellipse models, as well as those produced with famed Swiss jeweler Gilbert Albert. Featuring the same case as the flagship ALD collection, in stainless steel or gold PVD coating, the latest Dennison + Collectability collab reimagines the standard ALD housing with an asymmetric bezel design that thoroughly transforms the look and feel of the timepiece. It's a surprisingly effective and imaginative way to reconsider the case at the core of the brand, and it has also been used in its two-handset, quartz-powered ALD Dual Time models. The collaboration is available in two different dial designs in either stainless steel or gold PVD. First up is the 'Oblique Enigma Dial' that features a metal cutout on the sunburst and a blue and green two-tone dial. The metal border accentuates the asymmetry of the design and contrasts with the same shape used on the bezel. The other dial is a sector-style or starburst pattern that the brand calls its 'Oblique Vecto...
Hodinkee
Introducing: Timex MK1 For J.Crew
What We Know The day after Memorial Day brings the promise of warmer days, long summer nights, and backyard cookouts. Timex and J.Crew have decided to mark the occasion in a way that feels entirely right for the season—and perfect for us here at Hodinkee—with the release of the Timex MK1 for J.Crew. The MK1 is one of Timex's most storied models, originally rooted in military-inspired design. This version trades military-spec field watch utility for a leisurely day on the water. Housed in a 36mm gold-plated stainless steel case with a clean white dial, crisp Arabic numerals, and a printed rail track, the star of the show is unmistakably the small figure swimming across the dial. That figure, true anglers will recognize it immediately, is a brook trout—rendered from an original watercolor by J.Crew's in-house artist. It's a matter-of-fact detail that is unexpected, and works. With the trout and enlarged numbers taking up precious dial real estate, branding is limited. The Timex logo is on the front, the J.Crew logo on the caseback. Built for long days on the water, the MK1 for J.Crew offers 50m of water resistance and sits behind an acrylic crystal. It runs on a quartz movement, with an 18mm lug width and a neatly braided dark brown leather strap that has the signs of it only getting better with time. The Timex MK1 for J.Crew launches May 28th at $198 and is available at Timex.com, JCrew.com, and select J.Crew retail locations. What We Think What more could you ask for...
Worn & Wound
The Parivas Exo.1 and the Rise of Additive Manufacturing in Watchmaking
Last year at the Windup Watch Fair in New York City I was approached by Jared Woods and Mickey Brown, the co-founders of Parivas, a brand that I had not heard of until he walked up to me with his business card in hand. At the time, Parivas hadn’t really launched officially. They handed me a rough prototype of a 3D printed watch and loosely explained the concept behind the brand, which approaches watch design through the perspective of engineering, making use of the most cutting edge additive manufacturing technologies. It seemed like a cool, ambitious project. There are lots of cool, ambitious projects, many of them led by talented watch industry outsiders, and I’ve found that sometimes there’s an inverse relationship between the coolness and level of ambition and the ultimate success rate. Now Parivas is here in a much more official capacity, with the launch of the Exo.1, a $7,500 3D printed design object with an intricate lattice frame and a trademarked finishing technique of the brand’s own invention. It comes at a time when 3D printed watches are having a bit of a moment. Holthinrichs and Apiar have released notable watches with 3D printed cases, and Ming manufactures an incredible bracelet that might be the single most impressive 3D printed watch object I’ve handled. The technology is clearly improving and it seems like enthusiasts are more receptive to these ideas than they ever have been. The one thing all of these brands have in common is that they claim ...
WatchAdvice
Does Cartier’s Tank Américaine Live Up To The Legacy? (Review)
The short answer: Yes! The Cartier Tank Américaine is a standout watch that looks and feels a lot more versatile than it lets on. Let’s find out why! What We Love: A versatile yet elegant design A sportier remix of a legendary icon Wears comfortably on the leather strap What We Don’t: Readability suffers in the first and third quarters The crown is small and fiddly Where’s the display caseback? Overall Rating: 8.5/10 Value for Money: 8/10 Wearability: 9/10 Design: 9/10 Build Quality: 8/10 I think that, since I began working at WatchAdvice, my opinion on Cartier has changed the least. I’d already heard so much about it from every corner of culture; rap songs and rom-coms sing equal praise of the Parisian powerhouse. So, when this opportunity came along, it simply allowed me to get closer to a brand I had already learned to appreciate. With closeness, though, comes closer scrutiny. Cartier bears the weight of a rich legacy on its shoulders, and even the smallest deviation can have Cartier fans questioning their loyalty. Its model lines, in both jewellery and watchmaking, have become so iconic that remixing them is a massive risk. Getting it wrong, depending on who you ask, is intolerable. These are the stakes Cartier faces with the Tank Américaine. How could they possibly change the formula of such a universally popular watch collection while preserving the original DNA? That’s what I aimed to find out when I took the Tank Américaine for a spin some time ago...
Monochrome
First Look – March LA.B Goes Dressy and Compact with the AM2 XS
March LA.B is an indie French watch brand that blends retro-inspired design with a California-French surfer lifestyle vibe. Founded in 2009 and based in Los Angeles and Biarritz – hence the LA.B in the name – the brand has a penchant for shaped cases. The flagship AM2 family, an evolution of the foundational AM1 inspired […]
WatchAdvice
Revisting The Breitling B19 Perpetual Calendar Ice Blue Review
The first standard production watch with the Breitling B19 Perpetual Calendar movement, of course, had to be a Navitimer. We have gone hands-on with it to see how it stacks up! What We Love That ice-blue dial is stunning! Has an amazing wrist presence and an iconic design Easy to use and adjust movement with the perpetual calendar What We Don’t The reverse-style strap can get in the way, depending on your wrist size The 30m water resistance is on the low side The 43mm size will not suit all wrist sizes if you have a smaller wrist Overall Rating: 9 / 10 Value for Money: 9.5/10 Wearability: 8.5/10 Design: 9/10 Build Quality: 9/10 Originally published as: Reviewing The New Breitling B19 Perpetual Calendar In Ice Blue When you think of Breitling, one of the first, if not the first, model that comes to mind is the Navitimer. Not only is it one of Breitling’s most iconic models, but it is also one of the most iconic watches out there, thanks to its history, unique slide-rule bezel and overall design cues that make it stand out. You can easily recognise a Navitimer on the wrist from a distance. In that regard, it’s up there with the Submariner, the Speedmaster, the Luminor, and the Royal Oak, to name but a few. So it stands to reason that it was one of the models to receive the new in-house B19 Perpetual Calendar movement as part of Breitling’s 140th Anniversary Collection. The 18k Rose Gold 140th Anniversary Navitimer B19 Chronograph Perpetual Calendar. This was my p...
SJX Watches
Hands On: Nouvelle Chronometrie Montre Ordinaire
One of the most intriguing debuts in independent watchmaking this year is Nouvelle Chronometrie with its Montre Ordinaire. Despite the name, Nouvelle Chronometrie is actually Japanese, and the “ordinary” watch is a tourbillon chronometer inspired by 20th century observatory chronometer watches and dressed in formal Breguet attire. With its rigorously classical design, evident on both the front and back, the Nouvelle Chronometrie is distinctly Japanese at heart in how it careful reproduces and enhances traditional watchmaking – executed with a great deal of attention to detail. Moreover, the manufacturing of the watch is a combination of both old school manual methods and modern technology, reflecting a typically Japanese embrace of technology, not for cost efficiency, but for the sake of quality. Initial thoughts I first came across Nouvelle Chronometrie on Instagram. It was just images of the watch, with no information on the brand’s origins. Then I learnt Nouvelle Chronometrie was founded and led by Noritaka Sakurai, a longtime collector who pivoted to join the industry – which ironically left me a little sceptical. Though I have known Mr Sakurai for a long time and regard him highly as a collector, he was chief executive at Hajime Asaoka’s watchmaking outfit until 2020 – that employer was a red flag for me. Fortunately, Mr Sakurai has left that behind, and has now gone all in with Nouvelle Chronometrie, a project that deserves recognition and praise. Accor...
Worn & Wound
Introducing the Horologically Unique HU-01 “Finale”
Last year’s HU-01 took the watch world by storm, paying homage to Patek Philippe’s Calatrava 96 and offering it for a fraction of the source material’s price. Horologically Unique stuck closely to the Calatrava’s design language but added their own embellishments and twists. The original HU-01 modernized a classic to some degree, taking the original’s case dimensions of 31mm and bulking them up to 36mm, using a high-domed sapphire crystal, and installing an exhibition case back. Horologically Unique’s newest model, named the HU-01 Finale, takes the same general formula but adds a hint of luxury and a dash of more historically-accurate design elements. The Finale positions itself somewhere between the first HU-01 and the original Calatrava 96, both in aesthetics and pricing. So what makes the Finale a cut above its predecessor? The first notable difference can be seen with the two dials on offer: one in a brushed grey finish and the other with a stone dial made of jade. The latter model, nicknamed the “Yu” or “玉” meaning jade in Chinese, exhibits a gorgeous greenish-blue hue courtesy of the Burmese jade. It’s unlike most other stone dials I’ve seen, and I’m sure it will be a sight to behold in-person under direct lighting. Adorning both dials are a series of lab-grown diamonds, three baguette cut and eight round brilliant cut. Adding a bit of bling to a sterile dial is a unique choice, one I think helps add more character to what otherwise would ...