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

Results for Beads of Rice Bracelet

32,587 articles · 145 videos found · page 367 of 1092

Related pages

Wiki · Guide
Beads of Rice Bracelet

Mid-century steel bracelet with discrete bead-shaped links; Gay Frères, NSA, Novavit; modern Forstner revival.

Longines Adds a Light Blue Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve Worn & Wound
Longines Adds Aug 19, 2026

Longines Adds a Light Blue Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve

Don’t look now, but Longines is having an uncommonly strong year. The release of the reworked HydroConquest dive watch in March remains one of the most discussed new releases of the year from a major brand, and their quiet but smart update of the Master Collection in June was also well received. Last month, they launched a new version of one of the more curious watches to be plucked from their archives in recent years, and while it’s certainly more of a niche product than the diver or the classically styled pieces in the Master Collection, it shows that the brand is still considering the enthusiast in spite of what is clearly a larger, big tent approach focusing on core models.  The Longines Conquest Central Power Reserve in light blue is the third such watch following cream, anthracite and black dials introduced in 2024. These are incredibly charming watches in person, and lift from a design that originally debuted in 1959. It’s a fairly straightforward watch, with the central quirk (literally) being a power reserve indicator represented by a subdial in the dead center of the dial. The date appears at 12:00, and studying the dial reveals an idiosyncratic sector-like layout that is easily readable and visually interesting.  The case of the Longines Conquest Central Power Reserve measures a tidy 38mm in diameter and 12.3mm thick. That is a tad taller than I’d typically like on a watch in this style, but I think it’s the price we pay for a modern, tech forward mo...

Version Watches, and a Uniquely French Take on Midcentury Design Worn & Wound
Meistersinger Aug 19, 2026

Version Watches, and a Uniquely French Take on Midcentury Design

Cybèle Vigneron and Carla Lanfranchini first met at the Strate École de Design outside of Paris, arriving at the institution with enviable backgrounds: Lanfranchini had served as an artistic director and graphic designer at Dom Pérignon and Château de Pommard, while Vigneron honed her career in store design planning and visual merchandising at Cartier, Bulgari, and Berluti. The two became fast friends. After both earning dual degrees in design as well as business management, they established Version Watches in 2024.  They were entering a crowded field where microbrands have never been more popular, with even greater opportunities for designers and watchmaking visionaries to express themselves. Over the past two years, as they worked in separate cities and handled branding, design, distribution, and a successful Kickstarter launch, the two-person team were motivated by uniqueness: “we wanted to approach watchmaking from a pure designer’s perspective rather than just assembling off-the-shelf components or relying purely on nostalgia,” said Vigneron. We first saw Vision on display in New York at Tempus Takumi, a showcase of independent watchmaking that pointedly focuses on watches made outside of Switzerland. Alongside the design-driven, accessible collections from Germany’s MeisterSinger and Japan’s Minase, Version fit right in. Both founders were present and clearly happy to show off their creations, making their debut to an American audience. Accessibility i...

Hands-on - The Yellow Gold Minerva The Unveiled Chronograph Limited Edition 30 Monochrome
Minerva Aug 19, 2026

Hands-on - The Yellow Gold Minerva The Unveiled Chronograph Limited Edition 30

Minerva‘s Unveiled Chronograph series is an exercise in turning conventional watchmaking inside out. Instead of hiding the movement under the dial, which would require taking the watch off the wrist to admire its calibre through the display caseback, the manufacture reverses its architecture, making the chronograph mechanism and its distinctive hand-finished components the main attraction […]

Inside The Manufacture: Why Fam al Hut Is Pursuing Manufacture Status Hodinkee
Aug 19, 2026

Inside The Manufacture: Why Fam al Hut Is Pursuing Manufacture Status

This story is a special presentation from Hodinkee Japan, written and illustrated by Masaharu Wada, the Deputy Editor-in-Chief for Hodinkee Japan.  For a young brand to revisit roughly 98 percent of the movement components in a GPHG-winning watch after receiving the award might ordinarily sound like cause for concern. But when I visited Fam al Hut's workshop in Taicang, Jiangsu Province, China, I came away feeling almost the opposite. More than anything else, that fact seemed to capture exactly where the brand stands today. A large industrial elevator takes you to the second floor, where the doors open onto a long central corridor. To the right, behind glass walls, designers and engineers gather around technical drawings. To the left is a production floor lined with five CNC machines and other machine tools. Farther inside are a prototyping room, a finishing department, a clean room for movement assembly, a quality-control room, a stockroom, and even a dedicated room housing a femtosecond laser machine. Not everything is made here. Cases and sapphire crystals, among other components, still come from outside suppliers. What Fam al Hut has built, however, is an environment in which it can control the design, prototyping, machining, assembly, testing, and continued development of its movements. For such a young independent brand, the scale of the operation was far beyond what I had expected. Fam al Hut was founded in 2024. The following year, its debut watch, the MARK 1 Möb...

Essays: Georges Daniels At 100 And A Personal Reflection By Roger W. Smith OBE Hodinkee
Roger W. Smith Aug 19, 2026

Essays: Georges Daniels At 100 And A Personal Reflection By Roger W. Smith OBE

On the 100th anniversary of the birth of the legendary horologist and watchmaker Dr. George Daniels CBE, Hodinkee is honored to publish an essay from Daniels protege and friend, Roger W. Smith OBE, who has taken up the mantle of continuing the legacy of Daniels and his method of watchmaking. The bond between the two of them, though decades apart in age, has revitalized the rich legacy of British watchmaking. After the article, we'll share excerpts from an interview with Smith about his relationship with Daniels. — Hodinkee George Daniels at 100, A Personal Reflection by Roger W. Smith OBE On 19 August 2026, Dr. George Daniels CBE would have celebrated his 100th birthday. For most people, a centenary is an opportunity to look back. For those of us fortunate enough to have known him, it is also an opportunity to reflect on ideas that remain remarkably relevant today. The George Daniels Grand Complication from 1987. Throughout his lifetime, George made just twenty-four pocket watches and two wristwatches. I remember chatting with him on the opening night of his 'Retrospective Exhibition' at Sotheby's in 2006. Before the exhibition cases had been filled, he told me he had been sitting beside the assembled collection of his life's work. It fitted into just two A4-sized foam-lined metal trays. Yet those twenty-six watches contained ideas that fundamentally changed modern mechanical timekeeping. Few, if any, watchmakers have produced so little, yet influenced so much. "The Blue...

Introducing - The New Norqain Independence Skeleton Titanium DLC Monochrome
Norqain Independence Skeleton Titanium DLC Aug 19, 2026

Introducing - The New Norqain Independence Skeleton Titanium DLC

Since the debut of the Independence Skeleton in 2022, followed by the fifth-anniversary Skeleton editions in 2023 and the more compact 40mm model introduced last year, Norqain has established its approach to skeletonisation. Without chasing the extremes, the brand offers a combination of a contemporary openworked design and the robust, adventure-ready character that defines the […]

Twelve on Time - Louis Erard’s Manuel Emch and his Personal Relationship with Time and Watches Monochrome
Louis Erard s Manuel Emch Aug 19, 2026

Twelve on Time - Louis Erard’s Manuel Emch and his Personal Relationship with Time and Watches

Twelve on Time is a conversation series that invites leading personalities from the watch industry to step beyond their work and speak more personally about their relationship with time, creativity, and craft. Through a set of twelve questions, the column aims to lift the veil on both the individual and their perspective on watchmaking – […]

The Charming Kiwame Tokyo Yane Is Like Putting A Japanese Temple Roof On Your Wrist Fratello
Ming Kiwame Tokyo Yane Aug 19, 2026

The Charming Kiwame Tokyo Yane Is Like Putting A Japanese Temple Roof On Your Wrist

Ten years ago, my wife and I went to Japan for vacation. We strolled through Tokyo, visited the beaches of Okinawa, and toured the temples of Kyoto. Some of the things I photographed most on that trip must’ve been the countless temple roofs. They’re so characteristic and graceful with their sloping shapes and carefully placed […] Visit The Charming Kiwame Tokyo Yane Is Like Putting A Japanese Temple Roof On Your Wrist to read the full article.

Shadow Icons: The Underappreciated References Behind Every Great Watch Fratello
Ming up Aug 19, 2026

Shadow Icons: The Underappreciated References Behind Every Great Watch

Drumming up a list of the watch world’s biggest icons is easy. While we can debate what constitutes a true icon, we can probably agree that such watches defined a category and had a lasting impact on the current watch landscape. That’s not the discussion we want to have, though. In this new series of […] Visit Shadow Icons: The Underappreciated References Behind Every Great Watch to read the full article.

Hands On: Richard Mille RM 64-01 Tourbillon Colnago SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet Le Locle formerly known Aug 19, 2026

Hands On: Richard Mille RM 64-01 Tourbillon Colnago

Launched just a few weeks ago, the RM 64-01 Tourbillon Colnago is modelled on the Colnago C68, the same road bike used by Tadej Pogacar, the current Tour de France champion who has long worn a Richard Mille while racing. Though new, the RM 64-01 is still quintessential Richard Mille in form, substance, and price. The watch is large, lightweight, and exceptionally, satisfyingly ergonomic. As is tradition, the RM64-01 movement is the work of Audemars Piguet Le Locle, formerly known as Renaud Papi. The case material is made by longtime partner NTPT, a Swiss carbon composites specialist. And in the great tradition of Richard Mille, the RM 64-01 is very expensive. Tadej Pogacar with the RM 64-01. Image – Richard Mille Initial thoughts The RM 64-01 is the typical large format tonneau-shaped case shared with most current Richard Mille models. At about 43 mm wide, almost 50 mm long, and over 14 mm tall, the case is big, but sits perfectly on the wrist thanks to its curvature and lightness. And while thick, integrated rubber straps normally detract from wearability, the strap adds to the ergonomics of the RM 64-01. The watch is almost entirely in bright white, with accents of bright blue and rose gold — it makes a statement, even from a distance, as most Richard Mille watches do. But zoom in past the over-the-top aesthetics and the movement reveals fine detailing. The blue and white bridges are all titanium, but painted by hand to mimic the Colnago C68 bike frame. The tradition...

Hands-On: Vario’s Navi Collection Goes International Worn & Wound
Aug 18, 2026

Hands-On: Vario’s Navi Collection Goes International

As I expand my knowledge of microbrands, I was super excited to receive a sample from Vario, a Singapore-based company that’s been going strong for a decade. The brand’s latest offering builds on its Navi collection, which first joined Vario’s catalog in 2021. The line holds firm to its nautical roots with its sleek and refined interpretation of a porthole throughout the case and dial along with its compass and anchor hands and sailor-cap crown. Over the past five years, the Navi has taken a few forms, from the inaugural jump-hour to special editions like the Popeye and Vario’s collaboration with Watch Enthusiasts India (WEI). In 2024, we saw the introduction of a single-hand version, offering a slow-time display with an Engine Order Telegraph (EOT) 12-section dial in which each of the 12 sections is broken down into 15-minute intervals for a general reading of the time rather than one to the exact minute. Now, Vario builds on this design with five new colorways and, for the first time, new languages. With this extension of the Navi collection, Vario is taking the line into international waters starting regionally with Chapter One: Europe. The foundation of the models remains the same as what we saw in the original and now sold-out single hand version. The case is rendered in 316L stainless steel and executed in highly wearable proportions at 38mm in diameter and 11mm in thickness. The lugs strike a good balance of geometry and curvature that allows the model to si...

Twelve Market Observations By Ben Clymer (August 2026) Hodinkee
Patek Philippe Aug 18, 2026

Twelve Market Observations By Ben Clymer (August 2026)

Some version of this story has been in the back of my mind for months, maybe years. Because I see, hear, and experience so many wild things in my watch life that it's hard to really understand, I thought the best thing I could do was share them with you. Some of the below are simple opinions; others are hard and true facts. I think I have a unique position in the watch space as the president of a large media outlet (so I see traffic information and click tendencies), I'm a long time consumer of all kinds of watches (vintage, new, independent, big and small), something of a pundit on the industry for large media outlets, a participant in basically all the organizations that focus on the watch industry, and of course, an officer at one of the largest modern watch retailers in the world.  Beyond that, the amount of DMs I get from total strangers asking me watch questions is simply b-a-n-a-n-a-s  (should that be a series unto itself?). So I thought I'd take some of what's been on my mind from all of the above sources and put it on paper to be read, debated, and (dis)agreed with. So, here are five things that are happening in the watch world that make zero sense, and five more that make a ton of sense. FIVE THINGS HAPPENING IN TODAY'S WATCH MARKET THAT MAKE ZERO SENSE 1. Complicated (Vintage And New!) Patek Philippe Is Trading Below Where It Should Be Trading The 5270G is a fantastic watch, and even at retail, represents very solid value compared to what else is happening out...

Introducing: Seiko x Tradman's Bonsai Presage Classic Series Hodinkee
Seiko x Tradman's Bonsai Presage Aug 18, 2026

Introducing: Seiko x Tradman's Bonsai Presage Classic Series

What We Know It may not always come as a surprise when Seiko releases a new collaboration, at least in the abstract. Still, it is always exciting to see just who Seiko has chosen to partner with, and what that partnership can turn into. This time, Seiko has paired itself with Tradman's Bonsai, a Japanese creative collective whose mission is to celebrate and continue exploring the traditional art of Japanese Bonsai through both the creation of Bonsai spaces and the pursuit of collaborations with brands in the street culture, fashion, and art worlds. The result here is the latest addition to Seiko's Presage line, Seiko's dressier alternative to other, more technical watch families likeProspex. It's also the line Seiko often uses to celebrate heritage Japanese aesthetics and artistry, making it a perfect canvas for Seiko to honor Bonsai, an art form that involves growing, cultivating, and shaping small-scale trees with rigorous dedication and precision. With this watch, Seiko has evoked Bonsai trees in several ways, most clearly with the introduction of a new dial color and texture. Inspired by the bark of aging pine trees, the new pattern gently spirals outward from the center of the dial and is paired with a deep green gradient treatment and a dual-curved sapphire crystal with an AR coating on the inside. A 38mm stainless steel case with a fluted bezel and yellow-gold-tone finish houses the dial and the watch's 6R51 movement, a time-only automatic from Seiko with a 72-hour ...

Jacques Bianchi Introduces their First Watch in Partnership with the Olympique de Marseille Football Club Worn & Wound
Timex x Nigel Cabourn “Referee Aug 18, 2026

Jacques Bianchi Introduces their First Watch in Partnership with the Olympique de Marseille Football Club

Jacques Bianchi, the Marseille based brand specializing in dive watches, has released the first watch in what is expected to be an ongoing partnership with Olympique de Marseille, the city’s historic football club. This has been a big summer for soccer, of course, with the World Cup being held in North America right in the middle of summer, and if your individual case of football fever hasn’t exactly been cured yet, the new diver based on the brand’s popular JB200 platform might be of interest. And even if it’s not, it’s an interesting diversion from Jacques Bianchi that might point to some broader ambition from the brand as it relates to artistic craft, and chronometry.  First, let me say that while I have no particular allegiance to Olympique de Marseille, I have a soft spot for soccer watches. The first watch I bought after writing about it for Worn & Wound was a Timex x Nigel Cabourn “Referee Watch,” which sits on my desk to this day, ticking away. Soccer of course has a unique approach to timing among the major team sports in that a clock counts up to the end of a 45 minute half, with the referee having a great deal of latitude to add time to the clock at his or discretion that takes into account the normal stoppages of play. This principle is further complicated by the fact that the referee solely holds this information – the clock counting up that players and spectators see in the stadium or on television is essentially always just an estimate. The ...

Just Because - Berneron Quietly Reveals its next Chapter, The Mirage Miroir Monochrome
Berneron Aug 18, 2026

Just Because - Berneron Quietly Reveals its next Chapter, The Mirage Miroir

Since founding his independent brand in 2022, Sylvain Berneron has built a reputation around a distinctive approach to form, mechanics and scarcity. His experience on the creative side of major organisations clearly shaped his understanding of both product design and the power of restraint. His first watch, the Mirage, established that philosophy immediately. Introduced in […]

Introducing - Porsche Design Chronograph 1 - 911 GT3 100 Jahre Nürburgring Monochrome
Porsche Design Chronograph 1 – 911 Aug 18, 2026

Introducing - Porsche Design Chronograph 1 - 911 GT3 100 Jahre Nürburgring

Few racing circuits are as well-known outside the car fan community and command the respect and mythology of the Nürburgring Nordschleife. For almost a century, it has served as the proving ground for racing drivers, manufacturers and performance cars, and few brands are more closely associated with it than Porsche. Beyond countless motorsport victories, every […]

Materializing Forgotten Horology: Introducing The New Watch Brand Legare And Its Chapter 1 AGP Inverted Fratello
TAG Heuer Hautlence Aug 18, 2026

Materializing Forgotten Horology: Introducing The New Watch Brand Legare And Its Chapter 1 AGP Inverted

Meet a high-end watch brand built on a deep love for everything horological and ample experience to bring the founders’ original vision to life. Wei Koh, founder of Revolution and The Rake, and watch industry veteran Guillaume Tetu, who worked for TAG Heuer, Hautlence, and Ralph Lauren, started Legare to unearth long-lost horological treasures and […] Visit Materializing Forgotten Horology: Introducing The New Watch Brand Legare And Its Chapter 1 AGP Inverted to read the full article.

Introducing: The Legare Chapter 1 AGP Inverted - The First Watch From A New Brand By Wei Koh And Guillaume Tetu Hodinkee
Legare Chapter 1 AGP Inverted Aug 18, 2026

Introducing: The Legare Chapter 1 AGP Inverted - The First Watch From A New Brand By Wei Koh And Guillaume Tetu

What We Know If you've been on "Watch Instagram" since Watches & Wonders, you've likely seen today's big launch. From the minds of Wei Koh and industry insider Guillaume Tetu, the new brand Legare (from the Latin meaning "to bequeath") has been shared around during an extended soft launch to potential clients and some press, starting back during the big watch fair. However, their first watch, the Chapter 1 AGP Inverted, didn't officially launch until today, so if you've been looking for coverage and not finding it, that's why. The Chapter 1 AGP Inverted comes in two distinct executions and immediately caught my attention because of the reference that inspired it (and from which it takes its name). Because of that, it's a watch expressly made for deep-cut watch enthusiasts who know their history and appreciate independent watchmaking. In 1932, a 17-year-old student named Albert-Gustave Piguet undertook a watchmaking challenge that only five others at the Vallée de Joux School of Watchmaking would do from 1932 to 1934: he made a pocket watch regulated by two large split bimetallic balance wheels, averaged by a differential. These six examples are as coveted as they are influential to the watchmaking space. One inspired Philippe Dufour's "Duality." Even more influential was Piguet himself, who later worked at Lemania and on the caliber 2310. Now, his double-balance watch has been revived again by Legare. The watch closely resembles the movement of the Piguet pocket watch, wi...

Hands On: Cartier Privé Les Opus SJX Watches
Cartier Privé Les Opus Aug 18, 2026

Hands On: Cartier Privé Les Opus

The many shapes of Cartier were on full display at Cartier during Watches & Wonders, where the brand released the Privé Les Opus, a trio of platinum models with burgundy accents to mark the 10th anniversary of the brand’s Privé collection. The Crash Squelette is the only all-new model — with a new open-worked calibre — and the only limited edition. The Tank Normale and Tortue Chronographe Monopoussoir tread little new ground, but the platinum-and-burgundy livery is easy to like, and manages to be both distinctive and discreet. Initial thoughts Cartier occupies an enviable position in the luxury watch landscape, being the only brand among the top 10 luxury watchmakers (by revenue) with a sizable jewellery business. Perhaps for this reason, it’s also the only brand to achieve this level of success primarily on the basis of design, rather than technical innovation or haute horlogerie complications. The Opus trio proves why. Cartier earned its reputation as the “watchmaker of shapes” over more than a century, and today enjoys a rich back catalogue of designs. The three models chosen to represent the 10th anniversary of the brand’s high-end Privé line — the Tank Normale, the Crash, and the Tortue Monopoussoir — are among the fan favourites. The Tank Normale — especially on this bracelet — is one of my favourite Cartier models, offering a truly vintage look with modern build quality. Reflecting Cartier’s growth as an industrial watchmaker, each watch...

Color Rules the Day with the New Art Dial Detrolas from Shinola Worn & Wound
Fears have recently released pieces Aug 17, 2026

Color Rules the Day with the New Art Dial Detrolas from Shinola

With generative AI slop permeating even our most sacred of artistic spaces these days (don’t Google “AI in museums”, it will ruin your day), any honest-to-god expression of creativity can feel like a breath of fresh air. Watches can be a great escape in this regard, and watchmakers, from industry heavy hitters like Swatch to beloved microbrands like Fears, have recently released pieces inspired by aesthetic movements to bring a little bit of artistic integrity to your wrist. Detroit-based watch brand Shinola is throwing their hat in the multi-colored ring with two new vibrant models in their Detrola collection, inspired by the annals of American midcentury art, and at a price point that should appeal to many. Let’s take a gander.  The Detrola line is Shinola’s premier “pop” collection, featuring colorways that are a little bolder than the usual fare. With a clean field-dress design ethos, each Detrola watch comes in at 41mm in case diameter, making them ideal for everyday wear. Materials vary across the lineup, and the two new Color Theory models both feature polished cream TR90 resin co-molded with a stainless steel core. A thickness of 9.72mm keeps the watches slim on the wrist, and while the longer lugs add a bit of presence, giving the models a 45mm lug-to-lug width and allowing for 20mm straps. It’s a simple silhouette that allows the dial design to set the pace aesthetically, which works in the Color Theory models’ favor.  Each of the two models s...

Hands-On: Frederique Constant Rebuilds Its Classic Worldtimer From The Ground Up Hodinkee
Frederique Constant Rebuilds Aug 17, 2026

Hands-On: Frederique Constant Rebuilds Its Classic Worldtimer From The Ground Up

I've always had a certain fascination with world timers—for one, it's a practical complication, but mostly because I love watching brands solve the problem of presenting a lot of information—text, numbers, data—and condensing it into a dial that actually works. When it works, it really works. So when I heard Frederique Constant was updating their Classic Worldtimer at Watches and Wonders this year, I was intrigued. The broader market is fascinated with world timers too. If the upper end is any indicator that world timers are trending, look at what the ref. 2523 "South America Map" Patek sold for a few months ago. Couple that with brands exploring different ways into the complication—our own Ben Clymer spent time in Geneva last fall and came back with lavish praise for a world timer from Andersen Genève, calling it the favorite thing he saw on the entire trip. But the big hiccup for me with world timers has always been simple: they're often quite expensive. World time, generally, was historically reserved for a brand's most exclusive references, in precious metals, running mid-five-figure to low-six-figure—only in recent years have brands like Nomos, Omega, Breitling, and IWC started offering steel versions, which dragged the entry point down to the mid-four-figure range. Frederique Constant has been chipping away at that problem for well over a decade now, and with the Classic Worldtimer Manufacture release at Watches and Wonders this year, I think they've crack...

Recommended Reading: ERG’s “Grand Seiko” Book Is How Modern Brand Books Should Be Done Hodinkee
Grand Seiko Book Aug 17, 2026

Recommended Reading: ERG’s “Grand Seiko” Book Is How Modern Brand Books Should Be Done

Over the past few weeks, I've been taking a slightly overdue look through a backlog of recent acquisitions for my library. As I pointed out recently in a story on Taschen's "Ultimate Collector Watches," buying more books scratches the knowledge-acquisition part of my brain while saving me from writing a check the watch-collector side of my brain can't cash. Yes, I already have a few bins full of books lying around, and piles around the living room. But New York apartment sizes be damned, I'm acquiring more books. I recently had a spinal fusion and, while I'm recovering just fine, I'm still sorting out how to photograph watches without bending or twisting for a few months. All the books in my backlog are under 10 pounds (just barely), so my doctor can't get mad at me for lifting. So I'm going to turn this into a short weekly column to go through some books I have that deserve coverage. And the first one I picked up (both originally a few months back and again, for this column) was the succinctly titled and gorgeously produced "Grand Seiko" by ERG Media published earlier this year. As an official Grand Seiko-approved product, everything carries the brand's (often exacting) seal of approval. But it's also anything but a sanitized and soulless look at a brand's heritage and history. Instead, "Grand Seiko" weaves a beautiful look at watches and watchmaking with Japan's culture and landscape, and Grand Seiko's New York flagship. But first, you've got to appreciate the packaging....

Sheffield Unveils a Chronograph for a Great Cause Worn & Wound
Ming accident Aug 17, 2026

Sheffield Unveils a Chronograph for a Great Cause

If you’ve attended a recent Windup Watch Fair in Chicago, there’s a very good chance you’ve run into Doug LaViolette. Doug is the founder of the Brian LaViolette Scholarship Foundation, a Wisconsin based watch enthusiast, and honestly one of the nicer people you’ll encounter in this hobby. For years, the scholarship foundation named for his late son has raised money for over 1,200 scholarships for students across the United States and abroad, and now a new watch from Sheffield, a limited edition of just 95 pieces, will help in the cause.  Before we get to the watch, it’s important to have some context and understand the story behind it. Brian LaViolette was given his first watch at the age of four. It was a Green Bay Packers themed watch, and it kicked off a fascination with watches and watch collecting that would last until his life was tragically cut short at the age of 15 in a swimming accident. The LaViolette family founded the scholarship foundation shortly after Brian’s death, and Doug’s own watch enthusiasm continues in earnest to this day.  Sheffield is a natural choice as a collaborator for the LaViolette family. For starters, there’s some geographical proximity. Founder Jay Turkbas grew up in Minneapolis, and that is where his fascination with watches began. There is also some symmetry in the origins of Sheffield as we know it today. The original incarnation of Sheffield, a historically British brand, was the maker of the first watch Turkbas eve...

Twelve on Time - A. Lange & Söhne’s Wilhelm Schmid and his Personal Relationship with Time and Watches Monochrome
A. Lange & Sohne Aug 17, 2026

Twelve on Time - A. Lange & Söhne’s Wilhelm Schmid and his Personal Relationship with Time and Watches

Twelve on Time is a conversation series that invites leading personalities from the watch industry to step beyond their work and speak more personally about their relationship with time, creativity, and craft. Through a set of twelve questions, the column aims to lift the veil on both the individual and their perspective on watchmaking – […]

Tag Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 Review (WV211B): Am I Stuck in a 7-Year Dream with the Inception Watch? WatchRider
TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 Review Aug 17, 2026

Tag Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 Review (WV211B): Am I Stuck in a 7-Year Dream with the Inception Watch?

I added the TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 (Ref. WV211B.BA0787) to my collection back in 2019. Since then, I’ve been wearing it through various phases of daily life, travel and work. This review is not going to be filled with breathless hype or exaggerated claims about horological perfection. Instead, it is an honest, personal look at what it is actually like owning this specific Carrera. If you are considering buying one on the pre-owned market, this review is for you. And yes, we definitely need to talk about Inception. If you are short on time, here are the Pros and Cons The Pros: Timeless Dimensions: The 39mm case is extremely comfortable, versatile and avoids aging poorly with changing fashion trends.   Exceptional Build Quality: Punches well above its price point with crisp case edges, alternating polished and brushed steel, dual sapphire crystals and a beautifully finished bracelet. Cinematic Pedigree: While it shouldn’t be the only reason to buy a watch, the connection to Inception adds a layer of enjoyable history to the piece. Reliable Movement: The Calibre 5 is a robust, well-known movement that will never be difficult or exorbitantly expensive to maintain. The Cons: Water Resistance: 50 meters with a push-pull crown restricts this watch to land-based activities. Lug Width: The 19mm lug width makes sourcing third-party straps slightly inconvenient.   Lack of Clasp Adjustment: Achieving the perfect bracelet fit relies strictly on adding or removing h...