Two Broke Watch Snobs
The Best Beater Watches Under $300 We’ve Ever Tested
Looking for a tough, affordable beater watch? We reviewed the best under $300 with real-world wear tests, accuracy checks, and pros and cons to guide your pick.
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Two Broke Watch Snobs
Teddy Baldassarre
Rolex Yacht-Master Titanium Review: Their Most Underrated Sport Watch?
Before getting into the Rolex Yacht-Master Titanium here, we have to address the collection as a whole. The Rolex Yacht-Master is one of the most unsung in the brand’s catalog, with owners who either opted to be left-of-center relative to their other Crown-loving friends, or those who wandered into a watch store one day and said “I want a Rolex, and I’ll take what you got!” While the latter manifests itself on a daily basis and also accounts for the lion’s share of Sky-Dweller and two-tone Daytona purchases, the former has made the Yacht-Master something of a cult classic for those who don’t necessarily need to be submerged in water and would rather just be chilling beside it (with a lunch prepared below deck and a glass of dealers choice in hand). One doesn’t need to be a literal yacht master to own a Yacht-Master. Heck, you don’t need to own a yacht or have a friend that owns one. Instead – at least traditionally – the Yacht-Master was for the ones who took things less seriously, who wanted a watch that toes the line between tool watch and…um, fancier tool watch. It was and still remains – also – for the one that burst through the boutique door without a clue what they're after so long as that coronet is on the dial. But the Yacht-Master has changed. In 2023, Rolex took what had typically been an at least partially precious watch and turned the toolish knobs way up. This is how we ended up with the Yacht-Master Titanium, 42mm of sports wit...
Monochrome
First Look – The Ultra-Technical Bühlmann Decompression 02 Dive Watch
There’s more to the dive watch category than your classic, 300m steel model with a rotating bezel. Some brands have decided to pack dive watches with features that actually make sense underwater (and I’m not talking about a perpetual calendar here), as is the watch we’ll be looking at today. As its name suggests, the […]
Teddy Baldassarre
Vantablack Watch Dials: The Blackest Black
Since the advent of wristwatches, the watch industry has continuously been defined by a constant drive to refine and innovate. In the modern context, we typically see that in the competition to make the thinnest watch ever, the most intricate, complicated movements, and recently, the most sophisticated complications at the most affordable price point. All of this is fine and dandy, and makes up much of the great majority of the stories your humble writer finds across her desk on any given week. But today, we’re getting into the weeds on an even more astoundingly specific side quest, possibly the most granular I’ve embarked on yet. That is, the pursuit of pushing the limits of one particular color. We’re entering the void of Vantablack – the blackest material in existence – and the few watchmakers out there that have dared to create Vantablack watch dials. [toc-section heading="What Is Vantablack?"] I’m going to prepare you up top that this article will be touching on some pretty complex science elements. Largely, that’s what makes the subject at hand so interesting. Admittedly, it is also what took me the longest time to wrap my head around. It’s been a long time since I was in any sort of science class, okay? But the short answer to the question at hand is, put simply, Vantablack is among the darkest substances on planet Earth. Vantablack is not naturally occurring and is the brainchild of the British company Surrey NanoSystems, which, as its name sugg...
Fratello
Sunday Morning Showdown: Tudor Ranger Dune White Vs. Christopher Ward C65 Dune Aeolian Sand
Welcome to a new installment of Sunday Morning Showdown! This week, we pit two very similar watches from two very dissimilar segments against each other. The Tudor Ranger Dune White takes on the much cheaper Christopher Ward C65 Dune Aeolian Sand. We’ll see if the €2,425 price gap makes sense. Daan will take the Tudor’s […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Tudor Ranger Dune White Vs. Christopher Ward C65 Dune Aeolian Sand to read the full article.
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What Watches do Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs Wear? Watches of the Worlds Top CEO's NO ROLEX?
Fratello
Introducing: Schaefer & Companions Solune Grand Art Marqueterie - Straw You Can Actually Clutch At
You’re familiar with Max Büsser and his friends. The creations MB&F; produces are incredible, wondrous, and imaginative, but they’re also out of reach for the majority of watch enthusiasts. Let me introduce you to Schaefer & Companions, a brand recently founded in Le Locle that positions itself as an artistic platform. Christophe Schaefer, the brand’s […] Visit Introducing: Schaefer & Companions Solune Grand Art Marqueterie - Straw You Can Actually Clutch At to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
The Greatest Horological Masterpieces of All Time: Breguet’s Marie Antoinette Watch and Its Impact on Horology
A series of features identifying the most extraordinary mechanical masterpieces in history, blending precision, innovation, and craftsmanship. We all have our favourite timepieces either in our collection or those incredible horological masterpieces that have been invented or created through the ages. This series will showcase examples from the previous centuries up to the present day and look at the importance and impact on modern day timekeeping. Few watches in history have captivated the world quite like Breguet No. 160, often referred to as the Marie Antoinette Watch. Commissioned in 1783, this masterpiece of horology was intended as the ultimate expression of luxury, precision, and mechanical complexity. Crafted by Abraham-Louis Breguet, the legendary Swiss watchmaker, it would take over 44 years to complete, long after Marie Antoinette’s tragic execution and Breguet’s death. Marie Antoinette was an Austrian princess and the wife of King Louis XVI. Born on the 2nd November 1755 in Vienna, Austria, she was the 15th child of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria and Emperor Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. She grew up in the lavish Schönbrunn Palace centre of the court of Vienna, surrounded by wealth, music, and political intrigue. Marie Antoinette with a Rose. Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, 1783. Oil on Canvas. Image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art The Palace of Versailles was a major site of scientific thinking in the 17th and 18th centuries. It hos...
Deployant
New with Reviewed: Blancpain Grande Double Sonnerie (video)
We were invited to Le Brassus to see the unveiling of the latest, ultra complicated watch from Blancpain: the new Blancpain Grande Double Sonnerie.
Fratello
Hands-On With The New Blancpain Grande Double Sonnerie
When you think of Blancpain, you probably see a mental image of the Fifty Fathoms, Bathyscaphe, or perhaps even a Villeret model. At least, those were the watches I had in mind when the folks at Blancpain invited us over to Le Brassus and see their latest creation a few weeks ago. This video is […] Visit Hands-On With The New Blancpain Grande Double Sonnerie to read the full article.
Fratello
Introducing: The Updated Certina DS Action Diver 38mm Collection
Today, we’ll take a brief look at an exciting set of updated releases. The new Certina DS Action Diver 38mm collection continues as one of the best values around and now adds a ceramic bezel. A host of dial colors and case materials come along for the ride. Let’s get to it! While we bemoan […] Visit Introducing: The Updated Certina DS Action Diver 38mm Collection to read the full article.
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VAER D5 Pacific USA Diver Automatic 200m Watch Assembled In America Omega Seamaster 300 Homage
Fratello
Hands-On With Four Versions Of The Louis Erard 2340 In Steel And Titanium
What can you do in Le Noirmont, a town of 1,629 inhabitants situated in the Swiss canton of Jura? You can go for a hike in the mountains surrounding the village. And if you’re into watches, a visit to the Musée de la Boîte de Montre (The Watch Case Museum) is a good idea. It’s […] Visit Hands-On With Four Versions Of The Louis Erard 2340 In Steel And Titanium to read the full article.
Monochrome
First Look – The Czapek Time Jumper, A Double-Digit Jumping Hour Guichet Watch for the 10th Anniversary
A name with strong historical importance, François Czapek was once the business partner of a certain Antoine Norbert de Patek. However, it’s mostly since the rebirth of the brand in 2015 that the name Czapek became popular among watch enthusiasts. This year, the independent brand is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its revival by unveiling […]
Teddy Baldassarre
10 Vintage Seiko Watches And Their Modern Interpretations
Here in the watch world of the 21st century, we’re living in the heyday of the vintage revival, with just about every brand returning to their archive, and trying to find the magic heritage design that will resonate with a contemporary audience. Seiko has one of the most extensive catalogs – vintage or modern – in the watchmaking world, and in today’s guide, I’ll be digging into the brand’s past and matching it with the watch that has carried its torch into the present. With the 10 vintage Seiko watches below, we’re going to run the gamut of style and utility, but each piece is an icon of Seiko’s past and present in its own right. 62MAS: Seiko’s first diver At the time of its introduction in 1965, the Seiko 62MAS was the first dive watch to ever come out of Japan. Featuring a deep grey dial with luminous, trapezoidal indices, a unidirectional dive bezel in black, and a date window at three o’clock, the 62MAS was water resistant 150 meters, and actually accompanied members of the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition from 1966 to 1969. For Seiko’s (and Japan’s) first diver, the brand has gone the heritage reissue route, releasing a faithful modern take on the watch with the Seiko Prospex SPB143. Despite being in the brand's more expensive Luxe tier, I would say the SPB143 is among the brand’s most popular watches at the moment. Even outside of its heritage connections, the SPB143 is a capable, versatile piece that’s as good-looking as it is ...
Time+Tide
New releases from Universal Genève, Minase, Vacheron Constantin and more
Vacheron Constantin has followed up its boatload of Les Cabinotiers La Quête piece uniques with additional Chinese Zodiac novelties.The post New releases from Universal Genève, Minase, Vacheron Constantin and more appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
Introducing: The Awake Sơn Mài Fragments In Three Mesmeric Colors
The Awake Sơn Mài Fragments collection brings together the ancient Japanese art of Raden (inlaying of shell), traditional Vietnamese lacquer, and Swiss watchmaking. The dials comprise hand-laid mother-of-pearl fragments sealed beneath layers of natural lacquer. Offered in three limited editions (Green, Blue, and Pink), these watches showcase Awake’s mission to make metiers d’art available in […] Visit Introducing: The Awake Sơn Mài Fragments In Three Mesmeric Colors to read the full article.
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The Longines Avigation BigEye Now In Titanium With a Blue Fume Dial New for 2020 L28161932
SJX Watches
The French Connection: Trilobe’s Parisian Workshop
Gautier Massonneau didn’t set out to become a watchmaker; he just wanted a nice watch. Nearly a decade later, the thirty-something Frenchman finds himself on the verge of re-establishing industrial watchmaking in the French capital with Trilobe. His partner in this evolution, Volcy Bloch, has helped steer Trilobe from design-led start-up to a vertically integrated enterprise capable of producing its own movements and, increasingly, of charting its own future. Having surrounded himself with an experienced team of watchmakers and engineers in the city’s upscale 9ᵗʰ arrondissement, Mr Massonneau has built something quietly radical: a young brand that began as an idea sketched in a Paris apartment that is now in transition to becoming a full-fledged manufacture. Initial thoughts It’s difficult to discuss the rebirth of French watchmaking without acknowledging the turbulence of the past half-century. France was once a powerhouse of horological innovation, home to Breguet, Lépine, and the great marine chronometer makers of the 18th and 19th centuries, but the industrial base began to erode after the Industrial Revolution and never truly recovered. By the late-twentieth century, the last national movement manufacturers had either collapsed or been acquired, their ambitions thwarted by globalisation and Switzerland’s ascendance. Lip, for example, was an early pioneer in electronic timekeeping, but the company’s head start wasn’t enough to insulate them from the rap...
Fratello
Fratello On Air: These Are The Next Watch Trends
Welcome back to another episode of Fratello On Air! This week, we lay it on the line and predict upcoming watch trends. We take educated guesses about what will be hot and what will likely fade. It’s a comprehensive look at everything from materials to sizes and colors. Enjoy the show! This podcast player is […] Visit Fratello On Air: These Are The Next Watch Trends to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Complicated Collectors: John Pierpont Morgan
As part of a continuing series on great watch collectors, following the first studies dedicated to Elliott Cabot Lee and Thomas Engel, the third instalment turns to the horological world of John Pierpont Morgan Sr. (1837-1913). Based on the famous 1912 Chiswick Press catalogue, this analysis reflects the range and typological structure of his collection. These watches span devotional and allegorical forms, astronomical instruments, and multi-functional works of mechanical synthesis. While Morgan’s approach has sometimes been described as encyclopaedic rather than selective, the collection itself tells a different story, one in which historical resonance and technical refinement consistently overlap. The selection offers a tangible expression of Morgan’s collecting logic, in which cultural meaning, mechanical ingenuity, and symbolic intent were sought in equal measure. The man In the pantheon of American capitalists, J. Pierpont Morgan occupies a singular place: titan of industry, consolidator of empires, and paradoxically, one of the greatest cultural preservationists of his age. Born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1837, the son of an ambitious transatlantic banker, he came of age amid the expanding architecture of American finance. His education, from early childhood, was European. He studied in Switzerland and later in Germany, where a brief period at the University of Göttingen introduced him to the German language and the foundations of art history. These formative ...
Monochrome
The ABCs of Time – Beyond Steel or Gold, Unusual Materials Used for Watch Cases
Stainless steel, whether 316L or 904L, is now the most common metal for modern watch cases and bracelets. There’s a good reason for this: it’s robust, highly corrosion-resistant, easy to machine and polish, and very affordable. By and large, it’s the perfect watch case material. Gold and platinum are the go-to precious metals for cases […]
Monochrome
Portrait – The Manteio Zeus, Self-Taught Watchmaker Alex Goetschi’s Divine Debut
For our latest independent watchmaking discovery, we talk to Alex Goetschi, a young self-taught watchmaker from Switzerland with a very interesting story. Under the name of Manteio, which comes from the Greek word for Oracle, he finds inspiration in Greek mythology. And what better topic for your first watch than the ‘King of the Gods’ […]
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You'll get lost in the spellbinding dial of the H. Moser & Cie. Pioneer Centre Seconds Swiss Mad Red
Worn & Wound
The Greatest Horological Masterpieces of All Time: the Harrison H4 – A Groundbreaking Timepiece That Solved The Longitude Problem
A series of features identifying the most extraordinary mechanical masterpieces in history, blending precision, innovation, and craftsmanship. We all have our favourite timepieces either in our collection or those incredible horological masterpieces that have been invented or created through the ages. This series will showcase examples from the previous centuries up to the present day and look at the importance and impact on modern day timekeeping. John Harrison’s H4 Chronometer was a groundbreaking timepiece that solved the longitude problem, a major challenge for navigation during the 18th century. Before Harrison’s work, sailors had no reliable way to determine their precise east-west position at sea, leading to deadly navigation errors. The British government, through the Longitude Act of 1714, offered a large prize to anyone who could develop a practical solution. Sir Cloudesley Shovell, by Michael Dahl, about 1702-5 (L); The Association with the Eagle, Rumney and the Firebrand, Lost on the Rocks of Scilly, October 22, 1707 (R). Image courtesy of the © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London The Catalyst for the Longitude Act In the early 18th century, determining longitude at sea was one of the greatest challenges in navigation. While sailors could measure latitude using the position of the sun or stars, longitude required precise timekeeping-something that was nearly impossible with the unreliable clocks of the time. The inability to determ...
Monochrome
Introducing – The Hermès H08 Chronograph, Now in Naples Yellow
Since formalising its modern manufacture capabilities (including a long-standing stake in Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier), La Montre Hermès has developed a distinct vocabulary with typography that’s unmistakably Hermès. The H08 collection, launched in 2021, translated the approach into a daily-wear sports watch that felt designed rather than engineered. Its cushion case, graphic numerals, and mix of […]
Monochrome
Introducing – The new Breguet Classique 7225, the Comeback of the 10Hz Chronometry Watch with Magnetic Pivot
As you might already know as of now, Breguet is celebrating this year its 250th anniversary. And the brand is doing so by releasing watches that are either evolutions of emblematic models – such as the two stunning hand-wound Type XX – or paying tribute to the countless innovations of A.L. Breguet, for instance the […]
Teddy Baldassarre
Citizen Nighthawk Review: The Military Pilots' Watch
Citizen's fleet of Promaster Pilot watches offer an array of styles and complications for the aviation-watch enthusiast, and the Nighthawk models occupy a specific niche within the overall collection thanks to their bold, no-nonsense design drawn from military helicopter cockpits. Here is what you should know about the Citizen Nighthawk, and a showcase of the models that have most resonated with enthusiasts. The flight of the Nighthawk begins with the Promaster. In fact, Citizen’s Promaster collection - established in 1989 and built around the concept of rugged yet stylish, multifunctional timepieces aimed at sea, air, and land professionals - could be described as the massive aircraft carrier from which many Citizen pilots’ watches have been launched. From this now-emblematic collection emerged many of the famous Citizen tool watches we’re familiar with today, categorized under Promaster Marine (dive watches including the Eco-Drive and Mechanical Professional Divers as well as the high-tech Aqualand); Promaster Land (including the altimeter-equipped Altichron and ana-digi Combination Watch) and Promaster Sky, which includes GMTs like the Eco-Drive Geo-Trekker and the now-familiar “Hawk” watches with multiple aviation-centric functions, like the Skyhawk, Navihawk, and Nighthawk. What makes the Nighthawk models stand out from their high-flying peers? It is the most military in its aesthetic, with a dial design inspired by the instruments found in the cockpits ...
SJX Watches
Long-Hidden Patek Philippe Watches Headline Sotheby’s NY Sale
This December at its New York auction. Sotheby’s will bring one a hitherto secret collection of complicated Patek Philippe watches to market, The Olmsted Complications Collection. Accrued by late financier Robert M. Olmsted over six decades, the collection includes watches commissioned by the most prominent American collectors of the early 20th century, including Henry Graves Jr., Thomas E. Emery, James M. Morehead III, and Elliot C. Lee, some of which were completely unknown to the public until now. An “Extra” quality observatory watch made for Henry Graves Jr. It couldn’t be better timed either, with the flagship lot being a previously undocumented Patek Philippe perpetual calendar desk clock, just months after the brand launched its modern equivalent. Better still – at least for American bidders – these watches are already stateside, avoiding the hefty import taxes levied against Switzerland. In addition to rare and exotic pocket watches, the auction also makes room for a few watches with more mainstream appeal, including a Rolex ref. 6100 with a cloisonné enamel dragon dial. The Thomas E. Emery Desk Clock The headline lot is a Patek Philippe desk clock made for one Thomas Emery – the same client who commissioned Patek Philippe’s first wrist-borne perpetual calendar in 1925. Until now there were only two publicly known Patek Philippe perpetual calendar desk clocks, those made for James Ward Packard and Henry Graves Jr. Like its siblings, Emery’s desk ...
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