Results for Swiss vs Japanese Watchmaking

Opinion: Patek Philippe, the Cubitus, and Elitism in Modern Watchmaking

Last month, Patek Philippe launched their first new watch collection in decades: the Cubitus. It was met with, as you’ve surely seen by now, a chorus of widespread skepticism and bewilderment. Ostensibly a replacement for the now discontinued stainless steel Nautilus, the Cubitus borrows the bracelet and dial treatment from that watch, and makes the case square. The consensus seems to be that they turned one of the most elegant luxury sports watches ever made into something ungainly, and they didn’t even take the time to do it in a thoughtful way. Words like “lazy” and “ugly” fill out the diatribes from commenters who disapprove.  For me and the rest of the team at Worn & Wound, new releases from Patek Philippe are something of a spectator sport. I can’t speak for all of my colleagues, but feelings about the brand range from lukewarm appreciation for watches that are objectively well made and designed, to a more straight up boredom (that’s me), to some version of the “I don’t think of you at all” Mad Men meme (also me). It’s fair to say, though, that none of us are die hard Patek fans in the same way, for instance, that we follow new releases from brands like, I dunno, Grand Seiko, Christopher Ward, Armin Strom, Garrick, Tudor, and the like. The watches we get excited about span a huge range of accessibility both in terms of price and actual availability. But a good watch is a good watch.  This is all to say, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise t...

Introducing - Elka Watch Launches Loch Lat, Merging Watchmaking and Fine Whisky

Elka Watches is a relatively young brand built on a historical, defunct Dutch name, which was relaunched a couple of years ago by Hakim El Kadiri. Despite having no connection with the defunct Amsterdam brand, he wanted to pay tribute to the old Dutch brand and bring back the flair of the 1960s with modernised […]

Why Watchmaking Should Remain Focused On Excellence Amidst A Culture Of Criticism

Hands-on - The Otsuka Lotec No.7.5, a Japanese Artisanal Watch in a Class of its Own

Jiro Katayama, a car designer turned self-taught, independent watchmaker from Japan, is quickly gaining popularity with his brand, Otsuka Lotec. Despite the brand’s limited distribution – exclusively within Japan – enthusiasts worldwide are drawn to Katayama’s craftsmanship and industrial-meets-steampunk watch aesthetic. Travelling to Japan to secure one of his coveted timepieces, be it the retrograde […]

IAMWATCH 2024: A Triumph of Independent Watchmaking in Singapore

In-Depth: The Evolution of Independent Watchmaking in China Part 3

Photo Report: IAMWATCH 2024 -  Singapore's Double-Wristed, Resort Casual Dose Of Independent Watchmaking Madness (175+ Photos)

The event brought indies and watch lovers together in a new way. As for the wrists shots, even if you think you’ve seen it all, IAMWATCH will surprise you.

Cellini Jewelers: The Flare For Watchmaking | Revolution Top Retailers

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona vs. Zenith Chronomaster Sport: Head-to-Head

Day One for the Zenith Chronomaster Sport was January 21, 2021. And it seemed like everyone had the same reaction: “That is one aggressive Rolex tribute.” Tim Mosso thinks that the Chronomaster Sport is a distinctive product with its own identity and takes a look here at how it stacks up against the ever-popular Rolex Cosmograph Daytona.

Portrait - Gagà Laboratorio, When Italian Design Meets Swiss Precision in Luxury Watches

The current watch market is polarized and most often highlighted by the major and mainstream brands on one hand, and let’s say, all the rest on the other hand. Among the latter, on the fringes of the groups and a few independent and historical brands, a swarm of new brands has emerged in recent years […]

Hands-on - The d.m.h. Three-Hander in Bronze is Perhaps the Purest Form of Artisanal Watchmaking

Nestled on the river banks of the Dutch IJssel River, close to the town of Ouderkerk aan den IJssel, watches are being made. Mechanical watches that is, by the hands of Fred Dingemans. With a background in fine mechanical engineering, he was already very familiar with lathes, tools and machines before starting to make watches. […]

HODINKEE Radio: New Watches From Hamilton, Tudor, And More; Talking Tiffany & Co.'s Untapped Watchmaking Potential

Plus, a Collecting Advice for a world-traveling free diver.

Introducing - The Studio Underd0g Salm0n, The First Model in the Swiss-Powered 03SERIES

Why so serious…? This was somehow the idea Richard Benc had in mind when he decided, in 2020, to create his watch brand, Studio Underd0g. From there, the brand managed to gather the attention of watch enthusiasts with its fun, colourful watches at accessible prices – think about an April Fool’s joke becoming a reality, […]

[Video] Tudor Black Bay Chrono Blue Boutique Edition vs. Pink: Which is Better?

Tudor has been on a roll this year with new additions to the Black Bay Chronograph collection. Just a few weeks ago, they dropped a new addition to its Black Bay Chronograph lineup: the Blue Boutique Edition. Since I recently picked up the pink dial variant, naturally I wanted to get my hands on the blue and see how it stacks up against my current favorite. Both models bring something unique to the table, but should you go out of your way to pick up either? Let me see if I can encourage some of ya’ll to come to the dark side with me! Starting with the classic (and widely available) Black Bay Chronograph, I had a chance to wear the white panda version a few months ago, and while I appreciated its solid build and good looks, something about it wasn’t quite right. I’ll be the first to admit that I am attracted to the Black Bay Chrono because of its similarities to its “big sister” chronograph, the Rolex Daytona. Since I’m not willing to pay gray market prices and getting one at retail is a grail move in itself, I’ve always considered the BB Chrono a solid alternative.  I was super excited Tudor lent me the white panda as I had never gone hands on with one for more than 5 minutes. Upon putting it on my wrist I was totally down with the look of the thicker chronograph but something just wasn’t sitting right (literally). The oyster bracelet just felt too heavy for my taste and bulky in nature. I also found the lack of on-the-fly adjustability frustrating in the ...

Dispatch: A View On The Swiss Watch Industry After Spending A Few Days In Switzerland

New releases from small brands including Berneron, Daniel Roth, and Rexhepi highlight the industry's back-to-school show.

Portrait - Student Watchmaker Hudson Mickey on Learning the Craft of Mechanical Watchmaking

Throughout the past years, we’ve had the privilege of disclosing a few breakout independent watchmakers, often through their first watch. Sometimes, though, we even get to see graduation watches, or ‘montre ecoles‘ up close and can showcase young talents even better. This time around, we are looking at someone in an even earlier stage of […]

In-Depth: Tiffany & Co.'s Untapped Watchmaking Potential

America's only heritage luxury brand is focusing its efforts on high jewelry horology, but surely there's room for more?

The Golden Age of Rolex Movements Part III: Branding vs. Breakthroughs in Recent Years

The last two decades have witnessed regular Rolex engineering advances, often in plain sight and in rapid succession. Despite these developments, Rolex remains a brand defined not by movements but by continuity, model families, and the Rolex image itself. Tim Mosso thinks that the root of Rolex’s soft-pedaled reputation for movement virtuosity lies in the company’s own branding strategy. That and more in this third installment of Rolex's history of movement technology.

Hands-On: The Unimatic Modello Uno And Modello Quattro GMTs With Japanese Movements

Unimatic introduces two new automatic GMTs at a lower price point.

Louis Vuitton Puts Its Mastery of Fine Watchmaking on Full Display with the New ‘Escale à Asnières’ Pocket Watch

In-Depth: The Evolution of Independent Watchmaking in China

Marine Lemonnier-Brennan: The Doyenne of Public Relations in the Swiss Watch Industry

Introducing - Slimmer and Swiss Powered, Meet the New M.A.D.Editions M.A.D.1S

The story behind M.A.D.Editions is pretty simple, yet very cool. It’s all about offering the taste and spirit of MB&F;, without the price tag of an MB&F;. Many have dreamt one day of owning such a watch, but most of our readers and us here at MONOCHROME won’t be able to. For this reason, M.A.D.Editions […]

Hidden Treasures in Citizen’s Century of Watchmaking

Microbrands vs. Independent Watchmakers: The Rise of (Relatively Affordable) Microbrands

In recent years, several factors have come together resulting in the exponential rise of microbrand watches. This new microbrand wave is one of the biggest developments in the broader watch market. I would mention here that not all microbrands are equal. There are many watches out there that, to be honest, are not worth your time. However, some microbrands are getting it right as Raman Kalra highlights here.

Omega vs Breitling - Who Wins? by Tim Mosso (Video)

Tim Mosso explores the renewed rivalry between luxury watch titans Omega and Breitling. Once an also-ran, Breitling has been rehabilitated in the marketplace and offers competitive watches in all classes. As Rolex has moved upmarket, Omega and its Speedmaster have been left in possession of the mid-market field.

Discovering Hentschel Watches, One of German Watchmaking’s Best Kept Secrets

Hentschel has been on my radar for a while, and I followed the watch company casually for many years – until a mutual friend living in Berlin made the introduction. My curiosity level spiked, and I was ready for a deep dive into the background, manufacturing, watches, and everything that is Hentschel.  A Brief Overview of Hentschel Andreas Hentschel is the watchmaker and founder of Hentschel, based in Hamburg, Germany. Established in 1993, Hentschel has garnered a decent reputation for its craftsmanship and producing high quality mechanical wristwatches. A majority of the watches feature manual winding movements and sub-seconds on the dial. The design is reminiscent of classic pocket watches, but with complex case construction and colorful dials, they appear refined modern. Under the expert guidance of Andreas Hentschel, the family-owned workshop consists of a team of four skilled watchmakers that produce approximately 150 watches annually. According to Andreas, this limited production approach maintains the highest standards of craftsmanship and ensures that every Hentschel watch remains unique. In-House Movements Before I provide you my impression of two watches that I test drove for a month, I would like to address Hentschel’s in-house movements. Hentschel refers to the HUW 1130 S caliber as a “in-house manufactory movement.” Without going into the definition of in-house, Andreas is upfront about it being based on the Swiss A-Schild manually winding 1130 moveme...

Venezianico Is On A Mission to Make Italian Watchmaking Great Again

Swiss Watch Exports Continue Downward Trend, Confirming Yearly Decline Forecast

Hands-on - The Updated Otsuka Lotec No.6 by Japanese Watchmaker Jiro Katayama

In May of this year, we introduced Jiro Katayama, an independent watchmaker from Japan, and his brand Otsuka Lotec, which, despite its distribution being limited exclusively to his home country, has gained recognition across the continents. We had the pleasure of experiencing one of his models, the recently updated Otsuka Lotec No.6, and here are […]