Hodinkee
In The Shop: You Know How To Organize Your Watches – Have You Thought About Your Box & Papers?
It's never too late to start spring cleaning.
1,107 articles · 75 videos found · page 31 of 40
Hodinkee
It's never too late to start spring cleaning.
Worn & Wound
The Sinn U50 is one of those watches that watch enthusiasts collectively knew would be a huge hit when it launched in 2020. Though essentially a shrunken-down U1 (with half the water resistance), it was Sinn doing what they do best. Humbly making incredibly rugged, high-spec, modern tool-watches, and making it seem easy. Thin at 11.3mm, well-sized at 41mm x 47mm for a modern, but not oversized fit, and built to withstand 500 bar of pressure, it demonstrated that good engineering prevails over scale. The only problem has been a lack of new versions since launch. There was a blackout LE with a dark MOP dial, which was cool, if not for everyone (Sinn’s head of marketing, Sabine Kleiter wears this watch, and it always looks striking). And then the U50 Pro, which was a date-free remix, with the crown up at 10. Another great-looking version, it was sadly limited to 150 pieces and to the North American market. Both are great, but neither a true addition to the line. And then, in 2023, we got what we wanted. Well, sort of. Rather than building on the U50, Sinn launched a sibling watch called the T50. At a glance, they seemed a lot alike, but there are quite a few differences as well making them a slightly different beast. If I were to liken it to something, it would be the higher-priced sport trim of the same base model car. They have the same dimensions and general design, particularly regarding the case, but are made out of hardened titanium, gold bronze (a patent-pending allo...
Worn & Wound
It’s hard for a brand to stand out in the halls of Watches and Wonders. After all, the place is literally filled with some of the newest and finest horological creations. Yet Ressence manages to, even if they maintain a relatively low profile overall. Their booth isn’t elaborate, nor is there loud music or flashy lights to draw you in. Instead, their evenly lit room invites you in with a seat at a bar that doesn’t serve drinks, but rather a unique vision of watchmaking. And, naturally, it’s the watches themselves that make the booth stand out. While certainly in the realm of the high-end, their watches aren’t ornate or fussy. They aren’t traditional. There are no tourbillons or minute repeaters to ooh and awe at, nor gold or platinum to catch your eye with a glint. Instead, they are a reprieve from such things. Their watches look like precision technology from a future utopian world. And, well, that’s half true. Meeting with Ressence is a combination of seeing novelties and talking about manufacturing. A color change and how that affects tolerances. Years of R&D; to make already incredibly fine gaps between the moving components even finer. The word “micron” gets used with some frequency. They are a brand about precision technology, cleverly executed for a seemingly effortless result. This year, the focus was on two novelties: the Type 8S, and the Type 1 Round. The former was a new version of last year’s big announcement presented in a soothing sage gree...
Time+Tide
Grand Seiko makes the most of their gorgeous cherry blossom-inspired dial, this time in a rose-gold case The SBGY026 will appeal to the smaller-wristed, measuring in at 38.5mm in diameter and just 43.7mm lug-to-lug A manually wound Spring Drive 9R31 movement keeps the watch slim at just a smidge over 10mm It’s safe to say … ContinuedThe post Grand Seiko evokes rosy cherry blossom with the Hana-ikada SBGY026 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
The Grand Seiko SBGE295 takes the Mt. Motaka dial in a verdant direction with a silvery-green finish The asymmetrical bi-colour bezel is luminous in its white section, and is covered with a sapphire insert The 44mm case is 200m water resistant, and is powered by the 9R66 Spring Drive movement The term ‘forest green’ has … ContinuedThe post The Grand Seiko SBGE295 “Mt. Hotaka Peaks” GMT is inspired by lush mountain woods appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
While De Bethune is best known for its avant-garde designs and signature spring-loaded floating lugs, the brand’s early years were characterised by more traditional styling. Fresh off the press, the DB Eight calls to mind the brand’s early products, most notably the DB1 mono-pusher chronograph from 2002, but adds many of the technical refinements that De Bethune has become known for. Dressed in a polished titanium case and guilloché dial, the DB Eight fills a hole in the brand’s current line-up by offering collectors a simple, manually wound mono-pusher chronograph, albeit one that lacks the technical and decorative refinement collectors expect at this price point. Thanks to its wide but slim case and narrow bezel, the DB Eight will likely wear larger than its 42.4 mm diameter would suggest Initial thoughts I’m probably in the minority when it comes to my preference for De Bethune’s more classically styled models like the original DB1. Given this preference, I naturally I gravitated towards the new DB Eight more than I have to some of the brand’s other recent offerings like the DB28XP. But while I like the design of the DB Eight, the substance does not meet my expectations for the brand. Let’s start with the good news. De Bethune has addressed the cross-eyed look of the DB1 with a new movement that offers an instantaneous 60-minute counter for the elapsed time at six o’clock. This creates a balanced look that at first glance might even pass for a time-...
Worn & Wound
This year’s marquee release from Grand Seiko is the all new Tentagraph, an imposing and technically impressive chronograph that makes use of a new high beat caliber and a case shape derived from previous watches in the Evolution 9 Collection. It’s kind of hard to believe, but up until now, Grand Seiko didn’t have a purely mechanical chronograph in their collection. Spring Drive has ruled the day if you need a watch for timing laps, steaks, or anything else, but that changes this year. With the Tentagraph, which carries reference SLGC001, Grand Seiko introduces a new movement, Caliber 9SC5. This movement is notable for its shared architecture and essential technical features with the next-gen 9SA5, the double-impulse escapement caliber introduced by the brand a few years ago. We’ve seen that basic time and date caliber adopted in a variety of excellent watches in the relatively short time it’s been in production, but this is where the fun really starts: we now have a new caliber derived from the 9SA5, which of course would lead anyone following the brand to think that a) we’ll see more chronographs coming from Grand Seiko within the Evolution 9 Collection and b) we’re likely to see more complications. The 9SA5 now takes its place as a halo caliber, with many possibilities ahead when it comes to variations large and small. Like the 9SA5, the 9SC5 beats ten times per second and is powered by two barrels giving it a three day power reserve. That’s with the ...
Hodinkee
Just in time for Spring.
Time+Tide
TAG Heuer’s super avant-garde Plasma is back with even more diamonds The entire dial is a one-piece diamond plate with two smaller polycrystalline diamonds used for the sub-dials Powered by a tourbillon calibre with a carbon nanotube balance spring, its anti-magnetic properties are excellent Upon its initial release in 2022, the TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma … ContinuedThe post TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma Diamant d’Avant-Garde Chronograph Tourbillon adds more diamonds appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Beginning in early April, Sotheby’s spring sale season in Hong Kong also marks the auctioneer’s 50th anniversary in Asia. One of the headline sales is Important Watches I, a 210-lot sale that spans notable complications, artisanal decoration, and of course, independent watchmaking. The indie line up includes heavy hitters from the likes of F.P. Journe, Richard Mille, and Philippe Dufour, but also a few potential value buys such as the Christophe Claret Blackjack 21. And in the mix are some surprises, like the FVF Tourbillon Superligero. The auction takes place on April 5, 2023. Registration for bidding and the full catalogue can be accessed here. Lot 2101: Gérald Genta Fantasy Retro Mickey Mouse in 18k white gold Gérald Genta was the first watch brand to place cartoon character in high-end watches, well before it became a fad amongst luxury watchmakers. The Fantasy collection depicted various Disney characters, usually combined with retrograde complications. Such watches are common enough that a few appear every auction season, but almost always in steel or occasionally yellow gold. This example, surprisingly, is entirely in 18k white gold, case and bracelet, making it very uncommon. While it will pass for steel at a distance, the heft of the case and bracelet is a giveaway. The case is 36 mm, compact by today’s standards but the typical size for a men’s watch in the 1990s and early 2000s. And the dial is mother of pearl – Genta was a pioneer in exotic dia...
Time+Tide
James Brittain-McVey of The Vamps fame is a true rock-star in every sense of the word, bar one. Instead of sex, drugs and rock and roll, he’s seriously addicted to watches. For those not in the know, James is the lead guitarist for the UK band who are currently in Europe finishing their World Tour. … ContinuedThe post The watches James Brittain-McVey of The Vamps took on the band’s European tour appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
According to the BBC, the Swiss chocolate bar, Toblerone, is being forced to remove the image of the iconic Swiss Matterhorn mountain peak on its pyramid-shaped packaging, due to some of its production moving from Switzerland to Slovakia. The reason? Not Swiss enough. Clearly, having “Swiss made” on the label is valuable, especially for products … ContinuedThe post How Swiss is Swiss enough? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Ulysse Nardin Blast Tourbillon Blue & Gold’s faceted case is inspired by the lines of stealth aircraft design 45mm in diameter, 18K rose gold and PVD blue titanium case. Flying Tourbillon. Hours and minutes. Escapement wheel, anchor and balance spring in silicium. When delving into the romanticism of traditional high-end watchmaking, we often discuss hand-craftsmanship. But, … ContinuedThe post The Ulysse Nardin Blast Tourbillon Blue & Gold offers exemplary in-house machined mastery appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Another week, another couple of impressively featured Grand Seiko releases. Today’s offerings include an until-now limited edition-only chronograph and an addition to the Elegance GMT collection. The former, taking inspiration from the mighty lion emblazoned on Grand Seiko’s logo, is the Spring Drive Chronograph GMT SBGC253, dubbed the Tokyo Lion, extending the large feline inspiration … ContinuedThe post High-end and high-tech GMT duo: The Grand Seiko Tokyo Lion SBGC253 and Yukigesho SBGJ271 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
The brand follows the success of their PRX straps with a new Delugs CTS Rubber Strap line Ensuring minimal bulk, the straps are cut to size for a custom fit Leaf spring butterfly clasps eliminate the need for buttons and complex mechanisms Delugs have an excellent track record when it comes to various executions of … ContinuedThe post Delugs introduces their new CTS rubber strap line-up appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
Let’s take just a minute with a couple of bar flies, Zodiac, and Rowing Blazers. This latest collaboration between Harry’s Bar, Rowing Blazers, and Zodiac features the classic Sea Wolf case: 40mm diameter, 49mm in length, and 13.5mm thick. The Sea Wolf’s lug width is 20mm, and features a five-link bracelet, but it also comes with a custom French military-style hook & loop strap with a signed metal loop. Let’s take just a minute with a couple of bar flies, Zodiac, and Rowing Blazers. This latest collaboration between Harry’s Bar, Rowing Blazers, and Zodiac features the classic Sea Wolf case: 40mm diameter, 49mm in length, and 13.5mm thick. The Sea Wolf’s lug width is 20mm, and features a five-link bracelet, but it also comes with a custom French military-style hook & loop strap with a signed metal loop. The post Just a Minute With The Zodiac x Rowing Blazers Super Sea Wolf Limited Edition appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Teddy Baldassarre
As we all muddle through the dead of Winter (at least here in the eastern U.S.) and await the coming of Spring and more frequent outdoor activities, many of us are finding ourselves keeping warm inside, with more time to curl up with a good book and read. As any watch enthusiast knows, a good, compelling watch book - whether devoted to a particular brand and its history, a niche category, or a broad narrative about timepieces and culture - can be a very worthwhile way to while away some quiet hours and delve deeper into their passion at the same time. Here we spotlight 10 of the best watch books out there today, several of which you can acquire right here on TeddyBaldassarre.com. A MAN AND HIS WATCH: ICONIC WATCHES & STORIES FROM THE MEN WHO WORE THEM By Matt Hranek Perhaps no book in recent memory has explored the deep and unbreakable bond between watch owners and their most beloved timepieces quite as compellingly as A Man and his Watch, which offers not only the expected high-end photos, provided by Vogue and Dujour contributor Stephen Lewis, but also a host of personal memoirs by a collection of luminaries never before assembled between two covers. Hranek, author of A Man & His Car as well as two cocktail tomes and the founder of Wm. Brown, a men’s luxury lifestyle magazine, weaves together a plethora of sentimental stories about prized personal watches in a series of interviews with celebrities and influential figures from the world of horology. The tales r...
Worn & Wound
Anyone who has ever been to one knows that watch meetups are a lot of fun. You get to meet fellow collectors, handle watches you might not otherwise see in person, and hopefully even learn something new about the hobby we all share. But let’s be honest: they’re also kind of weird. A group of a few dozen people rolling into a bar on a weeknight clutching little canvas watch rolls and oh-so-carefully laying their contents out on tables is bound to confuse the waitstaff if they’re new to this whole thing. I often wonder what servers and other diners are thinking about the room full of people obsessively taking photos of their wrists at these things. We must appear absolutely insane. Between regular local meetups and other industry events, I’ve been to more than my share of meetups, get-togethers, and hangouts of all stripes over the course of my time in watches, so I felt like I could chronicle a list of weird things that you’re likely to only see at a watch event. This, of course, is an incomplete list, so if there’s anything critical I’ve left off, be sure to add it in the comments. The “Sex Pile” I think for the uninitiated, this might be the hardest to explain. The “sex pile” is the term commonly used for an arrangement of watches at a meetup into a single “pile” suitable for a photograph to then post on Instagram. It’s gratuitous even beyond the crude name as these photos inevitably include an obscene amount of wealth on display, but I h...
Time+Tide
Grand Seiko has issued a standard production Lake Suwa sequel to the limited edition SLGA007, the new SLGA021 Includes an Evolution 9 case and bracelet, 9RA2 5-day Spring Drive calibre, Lake Suwa textured dial. The SLGA021 dial is darker than the previous SLGA007, and also does not use a golden-toned hand and logo like the SLGA007. … ContinuedThe post OPINION: I am simultaneously fawning over, yet frustrated with, the new Grand Seiko SLGA021 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
The Sea Wolf is Zodiac’s most important and iconic watch design. First released in 1953, it is one of the watches that has defined the modern dive watch. Featuring a rotating bezel, large lumed markers and hands, and a steel bracelet, it had all of the elements needed for a diver. As part of its ongoing collaboration with Harry’s Bar, Jack Carlson’s cult brand Rowing Blazers is partnering with Zodiac to create a limited-edition Super Sea Wolf timepiece celebrating the oldest cocktail bar in Europe. The Sea Wolf is Zodiac’s most important and iconic watch design. First released in 1953, it is one of the watches that has defined the modern dive watch. Featuring a rotating bezel, large lumed markers and hands, and a steel bracelet, it had all of the elements needed for a diver. As part of its ongoing collaboration with Harry’s Bar, Jack Carlson’s cult brand Rowing Blazers is partnering with Zodiac to create a limited-edition Super Sea Wolf timepiece celebrating the oldest cocktail bar in Europe. The post The Zodiac Super Seawolf x Rowing Blazers Limited Edition – Now Available In The Windup Watch Shop appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Worn & Wound
In this episode of On-Wrist Reaction, we take a look at three watches that bring three distinct flavors to the table, and all manage to make a compelling case in their own way. We start with something entirely new and slightly unexpected from a brand called Lorca, who have designed an elegant take on the GMT that would feel as at home in a cocktail bar as it would in the field. Next is a new GMT from Nodus, offering plenty of style and function for the money, it’s the Sector GMT. Finally, we have the Norqain Wild One, featuring Norqain’s new material, Norteq. We have a deeper look at all three watches coming soon, but until then you can see our initial reactions in the video below. You can see Zach Kazan’s introduction of the Norqain Wild One, including thoughts from Jean-Claude Biver, live from Switzerland right here. If you have any questions or thoughts on these watches that you’d like to see addressed in our reviews, be sure to let us know in the comments. Furthermore, if you have a watch or a piece of gear you’d like to see us react to, please reach out to us at info@wornandwound.com. The post On-Wrist Reaction: Norqain Gets Wild, & Two Takes On The GMT appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Time+Tide
By the pool at Villa Hublot, a palatial mansion on the Persian Gulf coast, the French World Cup winner Marcel Desailly is sitting at the corner of the bar drinking a glass of red wine. As a DJ spins upbeat house tunes to usher in the sunset, a waiter circulates among the guests with a … ContinuedThe post FRIDAY WIND DOWN: At the World Cup with Hublot, final ChaosMaster Save Us Koala Edition available for purchase appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
You know that people-watching game that you sometimes play. The one where you speculate – ideally with a partner – on the complex inner lives of total strangers. That middle-aged man at the bar, for example, knocking back his fourth scotch. Is he celebrating a day of deal-sealing triumph? Or trying to blot out the … ContinuedThe post OK, we’ve found the perfect watch for an eccentric but jaded billionaire… appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
Presenting a new GS44 inspired watch featuring the design language first surfaced in 1967: the Asaborake SBGY011 hand wound Spring Drive Grand Seiko.
Quill & Pad
Two regulators, a chronograph, a Spring Drive classic, a new steel sports watch with a twist on the seconds, and a Nixie tube watch: this is what our peanut gallery must choose a winner from in the Petite Aiguille category, finding the best value under CHF 10,000. A tall order!
Quill & Pad
Watch collector Perry Heim has waited long enough, maybe we all have, for the perfect Bulgari Octo Finissimo. And it's almost here, bar one small missing element. Perry explains what the Octo Finissimo still needs to scratch his itch.
Time+Tide
See that Apple Watch fastened to your wrist? Well, it may well be a masterful piece of technology that tracks your steps, buzzes you notifications and locates that missing iPhone you drunkenly left in that bar. But according to Dr Lotti Tajouri, Associate Professor of Genomics and Molecular Biology at Bond University on the Gold … ContinuedThe post Study: Your smartwatch is “more dirty than a toilet seat“ and covered in dangerous germs appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
The new release marks Kurono's success once again in textbook execution of a product launch. It begins with a great design, good pricing and finishes with great marketing. Riding on Hajime's popularity, the brand story benefits from the watchmaker's credibility. The design is classic and accessible, with finishing that is a bar above most in its segment. It also benefits from finding a niche in the USD1-4k segment, in a non-mass production vertical. Its limited production possibly limited by assembly and manufacturing capacity works ironically in its favor, to create scarcity.
Hodinkee
Let your freak flag fly and show off those spring bars.
Time+Tide
Grand Seiko’s Evolution 9 collection greatly expanded at this year’s Watches and Wonders, with no less than five new additions. Among those we find today’s offering - the Grand Seiko SBGC249 and SBGC251 Spring Drive Chronograph GMTs. The idea isn’t exactly novel for Grand Seiko; in fact, one of the models celebrates the 15th anniversary of … ContinuedThe post The Grand Seiko SBGC249 and SBGC251 are complicated additions to the Evolution 9 collection appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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