Deployant
Armchair Picks: Kunal Khemka’s 3 of the best from Watches & Wonders 2023
Our contributor, Kunal makes his top 3 picks from the watches revealed during last week's Watches & Wonders. From Rolex, Chopard and JLC.
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Deployant
Our contributor, Kunal makes his top 3 picks from the watches revealed during last week's Watches & Wonders. From Rolex, Chopard and JLC.
Revolution
Catherine Rénier, CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre, takes Wei Koh, Founder of Revolution, through the Watches and Wonders 2023 novelties of Jaeger-LeCoultre. Timepieces that La Grande Maison presented at this preeminent watch fair included the Reverso Tribute Chronograph, Reverso Tribute Duoface Tourbillon, Reverso Tribute Small Seconds and the 10-piece limited edition Reverso Hybris Artistica Calibre 179. The […]
Revolution
After a decade of consecutive world records with the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo, Bvlgari now shines the spotlight on the Bvlgari Octo Roma, a vaunted timepiece whose history is deeply intertwined with that of Bvlgari’s. At Watches and Wonders 2023, Antoine Pin, Managing Director of Bvlgari’s watch division, expounded on the Bvlgari Octo Roma’s significance and […]
Revolution
Oliver Ebstein, CEO of Chronoswiss, presents his ravishing Watches and Wonders 2023 novelties to Wei Koh, Founder of Revolution. Chronoswiss timepieces making their debut at this preeminent watch fair include the Open Gear Paraiba, inspired by the jungles of Brazil; the 18K gold Space Timer Jupiter Gold; and the Open Gear ReSec Aurora, inspired by […]
Revolution
Laurent Ferrier is a third-generation watchmaker, who graduated from École d’Horlogerie de Genève in 1968 and worked 37 years in Patek Philippe. Hailed by many as the master of sector dial watches, Laurent Ferrier was 63 when he started his eponymous watch brand in 2010. At Watches and Wonders 2023, he introduces three new novelties […]
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Time+Tide
Oh, the Swatch x Omega MoonSwatch. Around this time last year, the unveiling of the concept and original collection was a massive moment for the watch space – the ripples of which extended far beyond the niche of watch enthusiasm. Massive queues, a lack of accessibility, while the launch certainly stirred up a lot of … ContinuedThe post Your reactions to the Swatch x Omega MoonSwatch Moonshine – the good, the bad, and the indifferent appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
While we are already quite a bit into 2023, Martin Green contemplates the year we left behind. He finds that sometimes it takes a while to understand and appreciate a new watch. Here he looks at a few of his favorite watches of 2022.
Teddy Baldassarre
When it comes to being a vital thread in the American historical tapestry, few watch companies can compare with Hamilton. Founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1892, during an era in which the United States was a world leader in timepiece production, the Hamilton Watch Company has played a role in building and growing the young nation since its earliest days. And though the company has for several decades been making its watches in Switzerland rather than the United States, its American heritage, and its particular association with the American military, is evident in several of its modern-day collections, perhaps most plainly in the Hamilton Khaki Field collection, which channels the martial aesthetics of the 1940s in a stye that few other modern timepiece families can match. From Railroads to Battlefields In 1912, as railroads began spanning and connecting the sprawling reaches of the country, it was Hamilton that produced the uncommonly sturdy and precise pocket watches that railroad conductors used to keep the trains on time and on schedule; in those days before an established international system of time zones, a poorly running watch could initiate a disaster on the rails. Just two years later, as the United States entered the First World War that was besieging Europe, Hamilton shifted its focus from being the acknowledged “Railroad Timekeeper of America” to building compact timekeepers that American G.I.s could wear and depend upon in the trenches and battlefie...
Worn & Wound
It’s an often repeated mantra around here: every year is an anniversary year. And if a watch brand is going to be successful in today’s hyper competitive market where, frankly, a lot of brands are offering products that are remarkably similar to one another, they need to differentiate themselves. And looking at a calendar, and figuring out how many years it’s been since “X” accomplishment or “Y” watch was first released is (usually) a decent runway for explaining what makes you special. To that end, Grand Seiko is embarking on what will apparently be a year of celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Caliber 9S, a movement which has become foundational to Grand Seiko in the decades since its debut. The Caliber 9S has become a broad family of movements over the years, as Grand Seiko has continuously refined the caliber, including adding GMT functionality. Grand Seiko has used the 9S movements as a platform for their MEMS engineering techniques, which allow for insanely tight tolerances in movement making for certain key components, and you could probably argue that 9S movements represent the most traditional watchmaking currently practiced by the brand. Today, 9S movements are universally known to be reliable and rock solid high frequency calibers that often perform even better than the specs would indicate. Most recently, the 9S served as the springboard for the creation of Grand Seiko’s next generation Hi-Beat movement, the 9SA5. While it might not be t...
Time+Tide
This past year was quite a journey for my collection, with new additions and trades – as I am known for every now and again. While I have been bad about it the last few months, with consecutive new watch addition honeymoon periods, typically I try to avoid wearing the same watch two days in … ContinuedThe post The three watches Zach wore most in 2022 – Rolex, Grand Seiko, Zenith appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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Time+Tide
While the new year is often a time that enthusiasts admire how their collection has grown, mine drastically shrunk last year. After I sold my favourite watch in January for a variety of reasons, as discussed in this article, I was left re-evaluating my other watches alongside my priorities. As of now, my collection consists … ContinuedThe post The three watches Buffy wore most in 2022: Seiko, Citizen and Omega appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
We’ve already counted down our top 5 from our Micro-Mondays series in 2022, but the independent goodness just keeps on coming. Each passing year sees these nimble microbrands continuing to innovate where larger companies can’t, driving trends and keeping prices attainable. If someone is looking to get into the watch hobby without spending a heap of … ContinuedThe post Our favourite Micro Mondays from 2022: Part 2 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Any watch worth keeping in the collection has a story. Or at the least, a defined purpose. Some are sentimental: an heirloom, a gift, or one that marks a significant moment all fall under this category. Others are purely practical: the beaters. The quartz grab-and-gos. The piece you choose when you don’t have time to … ContinuedThe post The three watches D.C. wore most in 2022 – Seiko, Omega, and G-Shock appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Having covered the year’s best from independent watchmaking, we now turn to the big names (but leaving out the value buys below US$5,000 that we cover in a subsequent story). The notable launches from establishment marques were predominantly evolutionary, either new-and-improved versions of existing models or vintage remakes. Nothing was a landmark achievement – except for the monumental Rolex Deepsea Challenge that is less of a watch than a statement of technical prowess. While not strikingly novel, many of the year’s best watches are executed very, very well. One of the best is the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Extra-Thin ref. 16202. Practically unchanged from the 1972 original in terms of design, it doesn’t do anything new in terms of design. The the new “Jumbo” nonetheless is a superior watch, mainly thanks to a brand-new movement as well as subtle improvements to the case. As we detailed in our in-depth review, the “Jumbo” retains the look of the original, right down to the colour of the dial, which is reproduced with PVD treatment. But it is the new cal. 7121 that’s the star. Amongst the things, it boasts an efficient, bi-directional winding system, as well as a higher beat rate for the balance wheel, resulting in more stable timekeeping. But perhaps most important is the addition of a quick-set date. While getting this watch at the retail price is a Sisyphean task, it is one of the year’s top watches simply because it makes a classic much better....
SJX Watches
Twenty twenty-two will undoubtedly be the best year on record for the luxury-watch industry. Swiss watch exports recorded their highest ever monthly value in November 2022 and the total for the year will top CHF24 billion, another all-time record. Despite the stellar year – or perhaps because of it – the “novelties” for 2022 are fairly muted. Lots of nice watches made their debut during the year, but the truly outstanding and significant launches were sparse. That could be for a few reasons, including supply chain disruptions due to the pandemic or that brands simply didn’t need to try too hard since sales were easy. During Watches & Wonders, a chief executive of a high-end independent brand conceded that it was better to conserve ammunition for the inevitable slowdown. Watches & Wonders 2022, where sales were easy to come by. Image – Watches & Wonders Even if the genuinely notable were few, the volume of new releases was consistently high throughout the year. And it wasn’t just new models from existing brands, but also new faces, especially in the independent watchmaking space. There was plenty to keep watch aficionados occupied throughout the year. Still, the year’s top watches are pretty obvious. The very best will be remembered a decade from now as a significant or important watch. Other picks simply have soul and authenticity. With that in mind, our team compiled the year’s best in each of the major categories, ranging from establishment favourit...
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Teddy Baldassarre
It's a common refrain in the watch collector community that chronographs are one of the most popular complications while at the same time being one of the least practical in day-to-day life. Many of the most famous chronograph watches are also equipped with tachymeter scales, and while fans of these watches mostly agree that they look very cool, few of them have ever used the scale with the stopwatch function, and many wouldn't really know how. Nevertheless, the tachymeter on a watch was invented for a utilitarian, practical purpose once upon a time and it's worth briefly exploring those origins and exploring those capabilities. Essentially, a tachymeter (also called a tachometer) is a numerical scale on a watch’s dial or bezel that is used in conjunction with a chronograph seconds hand to measure an object’s speed over a predetermined distance. It is often used to determine miles or kilometers per hour and is thus a common feature of chronograph watches whose design is inspired by automobile racing; we'll showcase several icons of that category in our list below. Unlike divers’ watch bezels, which should rotate in one direction to set dive times, or other types of bezel scales used for calculations and conversions, like the circular slide rule on Breitling’s Navitimer, most of which are bidirectional, a tachymeter scale bezel should be fixed. The numerical scale typically starts around the 6- or 7-second marker on the minute track, and is usually indicated in ...
Time+Tide
This has been a long year for those of us who write about watches. More than any year I can think of, it has provided what felt like an endless parade of new watch releases. So much so, that it’s easy for a brand or watch to get lost in the shuffle. Before you start … ContinuedThe post The top 3 Alpina releases of 2022 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
New year, new (to you) watch.
SJX Watches
For almost as long as I’ve been interested in watches, I’ve tried to find an objective way to visualise the stratification of the various luxury watch brands. I’m as fascinated by the process of watchmaking as much as the products themselves, and I wanted to find a way to differentiate brands based on the production techniques they employ, yet do so objectively. I believe you can tell a lot about a brand’s values and capabilities by looking at their methods, but it can be difficult to penetrate the smoke and mirrors of luxury watch marketing to see what’s really going on behind the curtain. An objective measure: watchmaker-hours per watch In my review of the Saxonia Thin last year, I used the metric “watches per watchmaker” to illustrate the economics of A. Lange & Söhne. While this is not a perfect metric, it is simple and quantitative, and crucially, it can often be derived from publicly available information. Taking this analysis one step further, I added Swiss, German, and Japanese national statistics for working hours to calculate the maximum possible number of watchmaker-hours per watch for more than 50 luxury watch brands. The start of the map, the Saxonia Thin How to interpret this metric The watchmaker-hours metric is not the number of hours that a watchmaker spends on every watch. Rather, it’s the theoretical maximum number of hours that a brand’s watchmakers could possibly spend with each watch. This workrate can be viewed as a simple proxy fo...
Quill & Pad
The GPHG Aiguille d'Or is always one of the most difficult prizes to predict, not only because all the watches entered are free to be chosen from, but also because so many are so good. The watch needs to be exceptional to win and it might even be a clock. What does our panel choose?
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Two Broke Watch Snobs
Our favorite automatic watches in 3 categories - learn what to look for in a quality automatic watch to find your perfect timepiece!
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!
Time+Tide
There is a lot of ground to cover, so I will try to be brief. Last week I attended WatchTime NY 2022, a horological candy shop for those who love all things watches. The participating brands brought some of their latest and greatest watches to get hands-on with, and there were too many I loved … ContinuedThe post Five of Zach’s favourites from WatchTime NY 2022 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
Now we are onto the big bad boys of the GPHG. Mechanical Exception is where we put the most mechanically incredible watches head to head, and the name of the game is horological creativity. Aesthetics help but a wild, avant-garde watch can easily win this category because there is no limit. So how does our panel choose?
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Get all the charm and novelty of a moon phase watch without breaking your budget - here are 10 moon phase timepieces to explore!
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