Watch brandsWatch wikiWatch videosVariousWatch calendarSaved articles
PopularRolexOmegaPatek PhilippeAudemars PiguetTudorGrand SeikoCartierSeikoIWCTAG HeuerBreitlingJaeger-LeCoultreA. Lange & SohneZenith

Results for Swatch POP

891 articles · 129 videos found · page 32 of 34

View Swatch brand page
Greubel Forsey Goes Green with Plant-Based Straps SJX Watches
Greubel Forsey Goes Green Jun 29, 2021

Greubel Forsey Goes Green with Plant-Based Straps

Best known for its ultra-exotic tourbillon wristwatches, Greubel Forsey has just made a surprise announcement: the brand will be permanently eliminating animal leather straps for its timepieces, instead replacing them with straps made of plant-based materials starting next year. While not the first brand turning towards sustainable alternatives to animal leather  – Swatch and Cartier did so earlier this year – Greubel Forsey is the first to undergo a complete transition, doing away with animal hides entirely. And with its most affordable watch still carrying a six-figure US dollar price, Greubel Forsey is certainly the only brand at the top end of the market doing so. More broadly, the luxury-watch industry has been making slower progress than the luxury-car industry, which has speedily moved on to greener materials for interiors. That is perhaps driven in part by the fact that traditional carmakers are already regarded as major polluters, with upstarts like Tesla accelerating away. Giants such as Bentley and Mercedes-Benz now rely on specialists like Dinamica and Vegea for leather replacements that are actually recycled paper and plant-based material respectively. That’s proof that a similar pivot for watchmakers is achievable, which is the opinion of Greubel Forsey chief executive Antonio Calce. “The technical offer for plant-based straps is mature,” noted Mr Calce in the announcement, “And our clients are by nature forward-thinking and welcoming of innovati...

Read article
Seiko Introduces the Presage Studio Ghibli with an Enamel Dial SJX Watches
Grand Seiko Jun 28, 2021

Seiko Introduces the Presage Studio Ghibli with an Enamel Dial

Seiko has long incorporated Japan’s unique pop culture into its watches – from Gundam to Street Fighter – and now it’s turned to the legendary anime film studio behind hits like Spirited Away. The Presage Studio Ghibli Castle In The Sky is inspired by the 1986 anime film about a pair of children protecting a magic crystal from government agents. Despite the cartoon inspiration, the new Presage has a classical design with Breguet hands, a fired-enamel dial – and no date window. Initial thoughts The Castle in the Sky edition gets a few things right. It combines a few specialties of Seiko – the fired enamel dial, Japanese pop culture, and a modern, workhorse movement – all for under US$1,500. That said, the mid-range price is novel for a collaborative model in this vein, since the brand’s earlier crossover editions were either priced substantially higher (as a Grand Seiko) or lower (a Seiko 5). Also notable is the no-date dial. While Seiko has long offered enamel dials in affordable watches, it usually installs a date function on the three-hand models, perhaps a concession to the brand’s focus on fuss-free practicality for its watches. Leaving out the date is not only significant from a philosophical standpoint – perhaps it’s an admission the design matters more than its utility – but the omission of a date aperture makes for a higher quality look. The date window never looked good, especially since the aperture revealed the relatively rough edges...

Read article
VIDEO: The Mido Ocean Star Tribute is a rugged diver that punches well above its pay grade Time+Tide
Mido Jun 11, 2021

VIDEO: The Mido Ocean Star Tribute is a rugged diver that punches well above its pay grade

Mido are an oddity in the watch world. They’re not a mega-brand, being a subsidiary of Swatch Group towards the affordable end of the ladder, yet they still manage to be one of the few brands whose limited-edition releases can sell for well over their original retail price, as seen with the Ocean Star Decompression … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: The Mido Ocean Star Tribute is a rugged diver that punches well above its pay grade appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Read article
Grand Seiko opens new boutique in SoHo, NYC in partnership with Watches of Switzerland Time+Tide
Grand Seiko opens new boutique Jun 5, 2021

Grand Seiko opens new boutique in SoHo, NYC in partnership with Watches of Switzerland

I know some of you may be thinking: “Doesn’t Grand Seiko already have a boutique in SoHo?” The storefront that opened last year was a pop-up exhibition, dubbed The Nature of Time in honour of the US exclusive four seasons collection. That exhibition has now closed, but Grand Seiko, in partnership with Watches of Switzerland, … ContinuedThe post Grand Seiko opens new boutique in SoHo, NYC in partnership with Watches of Switzerland appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Read article
300 Years Of Jaquet Droz – And The Brand Is Just Warming Up! Quill & Pad
Jaquet Droz May 6, 2021

300 Years Of Jaquet Droz – And The Brand Is Just Warming Up!

What appeals to Elizabeth Doerr about Jaquet Droz is that within the Swatch Group's 190 separate companies (including 18 marques), the brand operates very much like an independent watchmaker and its artful timepieces reflect this. Here she goes deep into the history of one of the Swatch Group's oldest brand names, celebrating the 300 years since the birth of its founder.

Read article
King Nerd writes touching personal tribute to the late Prince Philip Time+Tide
Apr 10, 2021

King Nerd writes touching personal tribute to the late Prince Philip

Editor’s note: King Nerd is someone you’re likely to have seen pop up on Time+Tide over the years. Most recently, he was part of our “11 Days of Londoners” series. But since then, he has been prolific to say the least with collaborations spanning George Bamford and Franck Muller, to Dr Martens and even Jaguar. … ContinuedThe post King Nerd writes touching personal tribute to the late Prince Philip appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Read article
Kross Studio Introduces the Death Star Tourbillon SJX Watches
Mar 25, 2021

Kross Studio Introduces the Death Star Tourbillon

A startup that “specialises in creating innovative and exclusive art objects”, Kross Studio made its debut with the Batmobile clock, and has now turned to an even grander piece of pop culture for its first wristwatch. Modelled on the planetary genocide engine from Star Wars, the Death Star Tourbillon has a skeletonised globe on the dial that’s actually the cage of its central tourbillon. Created in collaboration with Lucasfilm, the Disney subsidiary that owns the movie franchise, the watch is actually part of the Death Star Ultimate Collector Set that includes a kyber crystal prop from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the 2016 film about the conception (and sabotage) of the original Death Star. Together, the two are very much something for the diehard Star Wars fan who happens to like watches. If Kross Studio’ quirky tilt towards pop culture feels similar, that’s because several of its founders are alumni of RJ-Romain Jerome, the defunct brand known for its Hello Kitty and Pokemon watches, including Marco Tedeschi, who was RJ’s chief executive prior to its demise, and Sergio Silva, the former head Romain Jerome’s manufacture. And the Romain Jerome connection is integral to the watch as well. Specifically, the idea for the central-tourbillon movement was actually conceived by Mr Tedeschi while he was studying micro-technical engineering at the École Technique de la Vallée de Joux (ETVJ). He later refined the idea and patented it in 2006. And in 2019, Mr ...

Read article
INTRODUCING: The Seiko Astron GPS Solar Kojima Productions Limited Edition SSH097 Time+Tide
Seiko Astron GPS Solar Kojima Mar 22, 2021

INTRODUCING: The Seiko Astron GPS Solar Kojima Productions Limited Edition SSH097

Seiko’s pop culture collaborations have offered a sensational demonstration of playfulness and creativity in watch design of late. You need only look to their Street Fighter or Naruto-inspired Seiko 5 lineups to see just how unique these watches can be, but the latest collaboration with recently-independent Kojima Productions takes things up a notch, bypassing the … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Seiko Astron GPS Solar Kojima Productions Limited Edition SSH097 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Read article
11 DAYS OF LONDONERS: Day 5 – Stu Finlayson, Founder of Farer Watches Time+Tide
Farer Watches Editor’s note ‘11 Dec 4, 2020

11 DAYS OF LONDONERS: Day 5 – Stu Finlayson, Founder of Farer Watches

Editor’s note: ‘11 Days of Londoners’ continues with a UK-based microbrand you likely know and love, none other than Farer Watches co-founder Stu Finlayson.  The past 10 years has seen a host of brilliant British brands pop up and Farer is certainly one of the most exciting. The spirit of adventure and exploring is at … ContinuedThe post 11 DAYS OF LONDONERS: Day 5 – Stu Finlayson, Founder of Farer Watches appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Read article
VIDEO: The remarkable bang for buck of the Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic Automatic COSC and Day Date Moon Phase Time+Tide
Longines represents Dec 4, 2020

VIDEO: The remarkable bang for buck of the Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic Automatic COSC and Day Date Moon Phase

As a brand, Baume & Mercier presents a lot of benefits to its consumers. They have established themselves as a luxury watch manufacturer that aims to present some of the best builds for the best dollar. It would be fair to say that what Longines represents to the Swatch Group is what Baume & Mercier … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: The remarkable bang for buck of the Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic Automatic COSC and Day Date Moon Phase appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Read article
Artur Akmaev Introduces the Battle City SJX Watches
Casio nally works Nov 22, 2020

Artur Akmaev Introduces the Battle City

Both an engraver and self-taught watchmaker, Artur Akmaev was born in Moscow but has called Los Angeles home since 2017. He specialises in highly decorative, but also affordable, skeleton watches, each a one-off and often customised to the client’s specific requests. And he occasionally works with other watchmakers – Mr Akmaev was responsible for the movement engraving on the Infinity Series made by fellow California watchmaker Joshua Shapiro. Many of Mr Akmaev’s creations are inspired by pop culture – both Batman and The Avengers can be found on the dials of his earlier creations – and his latest wristwatch draws on 1980s video game Battle City, where the player has to destroy enemy tanks on a grid-like arena. Designed by Mr Akmaev’s sister, Dinara, an artist specialising in jewellery design, the Battle City watch is hand-engraved and enamelled, both on the dial as well as the movement. Initial thoughts The versatility of Mr Akmaev’s skill is surprising – he can transform any idea into decoration for a watch. Admittedly, not all have the same appeal. Some look a bit much for a watch dial, but others, like the new Battle City, work surprisingly well. The scale of the decoration of Battle City suits a watch dial perfectly, while its various elements like tanks and brick surface are ideal for engraving and enamelling. In fact, the three-dimensionality of the Battle City dial is surprising, given that the dial has to fit in in the 1.5 mm space between the mov...

Read article
5 amazing watches showing at the Grand Seiko “Nature of Time” exhibition in New York City (including the one I’d give an organ for) Time+Tide
Grand Seiko Nature Aug 14, 2020

5 amazing watches showing at the Grand Seiko “Nature of Time” exhibition in New York City (including the one I’d give an organ for)

Is your feed currently flooded with the Grand Seiko “Nature of Time” Exhibition in New York City? There’s a reason for that. Taking place Downtown in the SoHo area, in partnership with Watches of Switzerland, this event has completely raised the bar for watch pop-ups. As thoughtful in design as the watches themselves, the exhibition … ContinuedThe post 5 amazing watches showing at the Grand Seiko “Nature of Time” exhibition in New York City (including the one I’d give an organ for) appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Read article
Business News: Richemont Sales Halve in First Quarter of 2020 SJX Watches
Panerai suffered from widespread store Jul 16, 2020

Business News: Richemont Sales Halve in First Quarter of 2020

Just days after the Swatch Group posted dismal half-year results, Richemont reported predictably poor sales for its first quarter, with revenue falling 47% to €1.99 billion compared to a year earlier. Like its rival the Swatch Group, Richemont was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The owner of almost two dozen watch and jewellery brands, including Cartier, IWC and Panerai, suffered from widespread store and distribution centre closures, a worldwide halt in tourism, and dampened consumer interest in many of markets, although China was a bright spot. Degrees of resilience The group’s business across the world was affected to varying degrees from region to region, depending on a combination of factors, namely the duration of closures, tourist spending, and spending of the domestic buyers. Although Richemont reported double-digit sales declines across all regions, distribution channels and business areas, the decreases were less pronounced in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific – the latter benefitted from a 47% year-on-year growth in sales in China, which exited its lockdown earlier than the rest of the world. China’s performance helped keep sales in the Asia Pacific resilient, to a degree. Sales in the region decreased by 29% at actual exchange rates to €277m, declining in all Asian markets, except China. Amongst the hardest hit were Japan and the Americas, where sales dropped 62% and 60% respectively due to widespread closure. The 2020 Cartier Privé Tank...

Read article
Up Close: MB&F; HM10 Bulldog SJX Watches
MB&F; Mar 24, 2020

Up Close: MB&F; HM10 Bulldog

MB&F; has always been about pushing the boundaries of aesthetic and conceptual creativity in watchmaking, lassoing in everything from pop culture to science fiction to build its Horological Machines. Reminiscent of the HM3 Frog and HM9 Flow, the HM10 Bulldog is the tenth watch in the series and another intergalactic timekeeper reassembling a robotic animal. While MB&F; has historically been all about less-than-friendly animals, like a cyclops-chicken, luminous jellyfish, or giant spider, the HM10 is modelled on a domestic favourite (and perhaps also takes inspiration from the LM1). The design language of the HM10 is a familiar one as it borrows liberally from MB&F;’s past machines. Bulging eyes in the form of rotating displays take their cues from the HM3, while the suspended balance wheel under a high domed crystal is also found in the Legacy Machine series, and finally the mobile jaw that’s also a power reserve display brings to mind the vertical indicator on the LM1. An elaborate body It’s a complex-looking watch, so an explanation is in order. Available in either titanium, or red gold with titanium accents, the HM10 has a flat, elongated body with a protruding pair of collets for the crowns, as well as two domed sapphire crystals on the front and back to accommodate the time display and power reserve indicator respectively. At 54 mm by 45 mm, the HM10 does have a large presence – which is usually the point of a Horological Machine – but the overall shape, pa...

Read article
What Sealed The Deal – Peter’s Rolex Explorer II Ref. 216570, “when I got it there wasn’t a huge amount of demand” Time+Tide
Rolex Explorer II Ref 216570 Mar 21, 2020

What Sealed The Deal – Peter’s Rolex Explorer II Ref. 216570, “when I got it there wasn’t a huge amount of demand”

The Explorer II often does the rounds at the top of ‘the most underrated Rolex model’ list, and it’s not difficult to see why. In addition to many of the attractive hallmarks of steel sports Rolex models, it also has just a dash more personality – is it the pop of orange that catches your eye? … ContinuedThe post What Sealed The Deal – Peter’s Rolex Explorer II Ref. 216570, “when I got it there wasn’t a huge amount of demand” appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Read article
Up Close: Jaquet Droz Magic Lotus Automaton SJX Watches
Longines Mar 10, 2020

Up Close: Jaquet Droz Magic Lotus Automaton

Even though Jaquet Droz is a part of Switzerland’s largest watchmaking conglomerate – its parent Swatch Group also owns more mainstream names like Omega and Longines – the brand has consistently demonstrated an independence of thought with its impressive range of automata wristwatches – the latest being the Magic Lotus Automaton. Combining artisanal decoration with miniature automata – complex mechanical devices that typically imitate humans or nature – these watches continue a lineage that began with the brand’s founder: Pierre Jaquet-Droz (1721–1790). Jaquet-Droz built automata that were shockingly lifelike for the period, with his greatest invention being The Writer. A seated figure capable of writing a pre-programmed sentence up to 40 characters long, The Writer was such a feat that during the Spanish Inquisition, its maker was suspected of using witchcraft to create the uncanny contraption. Over two centuries later, Jaquet Droz has developed several modern-day interpretations of its allegedly supernatural devices, often wristwatches that combine an automaton with a minute repeater – and even in monumental pocket-watch format. The recent Magic Lotus Automaton, on the other hand, is much simpler, but one of the most unusual and intriguing. It is not a minute repeater, but manages to be brilliantly conceived and effective. Garden of wonders Despite not having a repeater, the Magic Lotus Automaton is still a mechanical bombshell – so it is massive,...

Read article
Hands-On: Tissot Chemin des Tourelles Powermatic 80 GMT SJX Watches
Montblanc Feb 13, 2020

Hands-On: Tissot Chemin des Tourelles Powermatic 80 GMT

With an annual output of just over four million watches, Tissot is Switzerland’s largest watchmaker by volume, with the bulk of its watches being affordable and quartz. But it has also carved out a niche with equally affordable mechanical watches starting at a bit under US$400 for the Swissmatic (a close relative of the Swatch Sistem51 movement). One step up is the Powermatic 80, an automatic movement that more closely resembles a traditional calibre – with more metal components and less plastic bits. A complicated model within the family, if it can be called that, is the Tissot Chemin des Tourelles Powermatic 80 GMT. It’s a dual time zone automatic starting at just US$875 – a value proposition that is also unusual in being one of the few GMT watches price below US$1,000. Chemin des Tourelles is the street in Le Locle where Tissot has had its factory since 1907 (though the brand was founded in 1853), sitting beside the facilities of Mido, Montblanc, and Vulcain. Unsurprisingly, the Chemin des Tourelles GMT is traditionally styled, though surprisingly large; the collection also includes a similarly affordable time-only automatic as well as a chronograph. The case is simple in form but appealing, with a surprising degree of detailing. The look is enhanced by the polished bevel on the outside edge of the lugs, which also have a notch where they join the case. And the case and bezel also have contrasting brushes and polished surfaces, making the whole more visually in...

Read article
Oddballs: 5 of the quirkiest watches released in 2019 Time+Tide
Feb 12, 2020

Oddballs: 5 of the quirkiest watches released in 2019

While a great many of the best watches unveiled in 2019 were vintage-inspired homages, there were also plenty of timepieces released that were resolutely modern and quite eccentric. And while we’d like to mention all of them, we’ve narrowed it down to these, the five quirkiest watches released in 2019: SWATCH FLYMAGIC The Flymagic is … ContinuedThe post Oddballs: 5 of the quirkiest watches released in 2019 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Read article
Breaking News: ETA Movement Sales Halted by Swiss Authorities SJX Watches
Dec 19, 2019

Breaking News: ETA Movement Sales Halted by Swiss Authorities

News last weekend that Switzerland’s competition regulator, COMCO, also widely known by its German acronym Weko, was weighing a ban on ETA movement sales to third-party brands caused a major stir in the watch industry – and a terse, lengthy response from Swatch Group, ETA’s parent and Switzerland’s biggest watchmaking conglomerate. The move was ostensibly to allow alternatives to ETA – once Switzerland’s dominant supplier of mechanical movements – to develop. According to the Swatch Group, the ban was entirely without merit, especially given the fact that ETA was no longer the biggest supplier of movements to the industry. That title now belongs to Sellita, which supplied a million movements in 2019, compared to half the number for ETA. Now COMCO has formalised the year-long ban in an announcement that puts in place a “temporary suspension of the supply of [ETA] mechanical movements to customers”. The ban will be in force until COMCO makes its final decision by the summer of 2020. The ban, however, allows ETA to sell its movements to existing clients that are small- and medium-sized watch brands, defined as having less than 250 employees, which will probably be of little consolation to ETA. According to a Swatch Group spokesman quoted by Reuters, the majority of ETA’s movement sales are to companies with more than 250 employees, and as a result, ETA foresees it won’t be able to sell any movements next year. According to the statement, the ban is foun...

Read article
Business News: Swiss Authorities Weigh ETA Sales Ban SJX Watches
Dec 15, 2019

Business News: Swiss Authorities Weigh ETA Sales Ban

According to Swiss newspaper Schweiz am Wochenende (via Reuters), Switzerland’s Competition Commission, a federal body that oversees competition and antitrust matters, is considering an outright ban of movements sales by ETA to third parties, in other words brands outside of the Swatch Group, starting January 2020. Also known as COMCO, or its German acronym WEKO, the agency is expected to deliver a verdict on December 19 . No explicit reason was cited for the potential ban, but it was implied that a recent COMCO report on the industry structure of the movement business is the reason. It is possible that COMCO believes the number of alternatives to ETA is sufficient that the watch industry would be better served over the long term by forcing watch brands to switch away from ETA. COMCO has long tussled with Switzerland’s biggest movement maker, in a dispute that began 17 years ago, when ETA announced it would gradually halt sales of ebauches, or movement blanks, to brands not owned by its parent company, Swatch Group. Because ETA was, and still is, Switzerland’s largest movement, reputedly producing some five million movements a year, its decision was regarded by COMCO as anticompetitive. And the wider Swatch Group – which is the country’s largest watchmaking conglomerate – produces perhaps a third of the components needed for watch movements in the entire industry. In the subsequent years ETA and COMCO reached various agreements over movement supply, with the l...

Read article