Two Broke Watch Snobs
Traska Pushes Its Design Philosophy Further With a Mechanical Chronograph
A closer look at the TRASKA Chronograph, featuring a Seiko NE86 column-wheel movement, hardened steel case, and unconventional subdial design.
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Two Broke Watch Snobs
A closer look at the TRASKA Chronograph, featuring a Seiko NE86 column-wheel movement, hardened steel case, and unconventional subdial design.
Worn & Wound
While the news today is dominated by big releases from Holy Trinity brands that will be nearly impossible for mere mortals to see in person, let alone buy, Traska has what feels like an antidote, or at least a cleansing breath when it feels we’re being flooded with watches that fall into the dreaded “hype” category. Their first new watch in nearly four years is also their first chronograph (conveniently named, the Traska Chronograph) and it applies much of the brand’s ethos into a platform that we’re honestly surprised they hadn’t pursued to this point. If you need a refresher on Traska, we invite you to read up on Venturer GMT, which Griffin reviewed recently here. While this is a look at one specific watch, Griffin gets to something about how we understand Traska, which is that they produce watches that are part of a long lineage of purpose built tools. The word “Rolex” is invoked multiple times in that Venturer review not because Traska has a connection to that brand’s current status as the most well known luxury object in the world, but to a previous state when watches were prized for their simplicity and usefulness. Rolex made great leaps from the middle of the last century onward simply by standardizing a design language for sports watches that has become definitional to the category at this point, and I think what Traska is doing with a commitment to using steel hardening treatments and offering other points of value in every watch while adhering...
Hodinkee
With a new case, and new movement, it’s a new(ish) look for Audemars Piguet for 2026. But if you look back far enough, you’ll find the brand’s inspiration, and imagine what might be coming.
SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin’s latest Overseas Tourbillon pairs a titanium case with a deep red dial, recalling last year’s perpetual calendar, showcasing the cal. 2160 with peripheral rotor, refined finishing, and a slow beating one minute tourbillon. It represents the finest of industrial fine watchmaking with high-end construction inside and out. Initial Thoughts Last August Vacheron Constantin launched a pair of new Overseas Perpetual Calendars, one in burgundy and the other pink-on-pink. I felt the “deep red” dial – as Vacheron Constantin calls it – works particularly well against the white gold case, and the light blue accents were a nice touch. Nothing has changed on that front, the colour pallette looks just as good now as it did then, but is now lighter, thanks to the titanium case, and equipped more impressive movement. While the Overseas Perpetual’s movement somewhat lags behind its competition, the Overseas Tourbillon has a more competitive calibre, which holds its own against the Royal Oak Tourbillons, and wins by default against the non-existent Nautilus Tourbillon. That said, it is hardly a value within its segment, with estimated pricing comparable to Audemars Piguet’s blue-chip Royal Oak Tourbillons, though that is more than fair when you put aside brand caché and focus purely on the product. Case and Bracelet The Overseas case is well made and well finished by any standard, though not quite as complex as its counterparts from Audemars Piguet and P...
Worn & Wound
One thing that we’ve learned quite clearly over the last decade or so is that there are a lot of different ways to release a limited edition watch, particularly a collaborative limited edition. Our friends over at Monochrome have a particularly interesting way of doing it, with their Montre de Souscription series, which makes limited edition watches available on a “subscription” basis, a throwback to a very old way of selling watches. This is essentially the offer of a pre-order with money down, that allows the watchmakers to begin working on the pieces to be sold later. The concept has evolved and become quite common, but in the early days of watchmaking this was the only way that fine watches could be made and that everyone involved could make a living at it, so the term has come to evoke classical watchmaking in a very real way. For their part, Monochrome has chosen to work with some very esteemed and similarly old-fashioned independent brands since this series launched in 2020, including Habring (twice), Armin Strom, and Czapek. Last week, they debuted the latest MDS series watch, the Montre de Souscription 5 x Angelus Chronographe Tachymètre. This is a new spin on the Chronographe Télémètre, a watch that was among our favorite debuts at Watches & Wonders last year. As you might guess from the name, the new piece made with Monochrome switches out the telemeter scale on the chronograph for a tachymeter. There are other little changes as well, but the mos...
Fratello
You’ve got to hand it to Papar Watch Co.; the young American brand certainly has a unique way of doing things. It all started with the radically brutalist Anillo GMT, and now the Cenote debuts. The Cenote Titanium + Blue and Rose Gold Titanium are dive watches with a design that builds on the angular, […] Visit Hands-On With The Angular Papar Cenote Titanium + Blue And Rose Gold Titanium to read the full article.
Fratello
Welcome back to another installment of Back to Basics, our series aimed at newcomers to the watch world. This time, we’re looking into watches that set a good starting point for a collection. Which watches make for a good “first real watch”? I will provide a selection of different categories. You can consider these different […] Visit Back To Basics: Watches That Set A Good Starting Point For A Collection to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of our favorite content, watch or otherwise, from around the internet. Here, we support other creators, explore interesting content that inspires us, and put a spotlight on causes we believe in. Oh, and any gear we happen to be digging on this week. We love gear. The Global Travel Stash from Matador Here at Worn & Wound, much of the team is gearing up for what will be a rather intense season of travel. Between trade shows, Windup, and maybe even some personal travel (imagine that!) a lot of us are thinking about where we’re going and what we’ll be bringing along with us to make those trips as smooth as possible (but honestly, we don’t need much of an excuse to think about the gear side of things). To that end, a new piece of kit from Matador caught our eye recently. The Global Travel Stash is a low profile, weatherproof carry solution meant to house your most important travel essentials. Things like cash, credit cards, your passport, keys – all the little things that you absolutely need to keep secure. The Global Travel Stash is also RFID blocking and can be carried like a wallet or around your neck or even as a cross-body “bag” if you’d prefer. Check it out at the Matador website here. The retail price is a very reasonable $49. The Leatherman OPNR We love a ridiculously simple everyday carry solution, and the new OPNR from Leatherman is about as straightforward as it gets. This extremely minimal keychain ...
Fratello
He might not have been a watchmaker by training, but Raymond Weil (1926–2014) did start an eponymous watch brand. Remarkably, he did so at the age of 50 in 1976. The timing is defiant. Cheap quartz watches were already wreaking havoc on the Swiss watch industry, and a man in his 50s, especially back then, […] Visit Who Was Raymond Weil? Fratello Talked To His Grandson To Learn More About The Brand’s Founder to read the full article.
Fratello
Recently, I bought an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M with a 43.5mm all-brushed steel case and a sandblasted gunmetal-gray dial. This purchase came after the launch of the fully revamped Planet Ocean. With the fourth generation’s sharper facets, redesigned bracelet with polished center links, slimmer profile, and importantly, no helium escape valve (HEV) at the […] Visit Why I Bought A Third-Generation Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M Over The New Version to read the full article.
Teddy Baldassarre
The Omega Speedmaster is among the heavyweight champions of the watch world. For so many out there, it's the entryway into the enthusiast community, a jumping-off point before taking the plunge into watches as a hobby, and the Speedmaster continues to be one of the most recognizable names in the industry. Today, we’re going to get a little more granular on the subject and put two iterations of the icon, which have been the subject of much debate, head-to-head: the Speedmaster Reduced and the classic Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional. Down below, I’ll set up the scene with a little history lesson, and then break down the key similarities and differences between the two to keep in mind. [toc-section heading="History and Context"] As one of the legends of watchmaking, the story of the Speedmaster is one often told and retold, so I will keep things quick and to the point here. If you want to go more in-depth on its backstory, feel free to break away from this article and head to our complete guide to the Speedmaster here. A symbol of the Space Race era, the Omega Speedmaster is most well-known for its role on the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, which officially made it the first watch to ever be worn on the Moon. It’s the watch that’s been aboard all six of the moon landing missions, thus earning the “Moonwatch” title once and for all. Taking off from its original motorsport-oriented intent to be the chosen watch of space exploration, the key DNA of the Speedmast...
Monochrome
Since Chopard‘s and Zagato‘s first collaboration in 2013 with the Mille Miglia Zagato Chronograph, followed by the 2019 Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph Zagato 100th Anniversary Edition, the two family-run brands have used watchmaking to express automotive culture. With the Zagato Lab One Concept, Chopard takes that collaboration further, delivering a true concept watch focused on structure, […]
Fratello
I had to drive from Amsterdam to Brussels in 2015 to see the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic Universal Time with deadbeat seconds in the metal. It was worth it. Both the three-handed Geophysic True Second and Universal Time impressed me a lot, especially the travel watch with a world-map dial and a practical complication. Upon learning […] Visit Why I Bought The Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic Universal Time to read the full article.
Teddy Baldassarre
Blancpain is the world’s most historic luxury watchmaker, with nearly 300 years of uninterrupted production. It’s also largely credited with establishing the blueprint of all modern diving watches with its Fifty Fathoms. The formula for the undeniably iconic collection has been largely unfussed with since it forever changed the watch world in 1953. But in recent years, we’ve seen the brand more willing to evolve with the times and expand its staple diver to be more wearable, and more appealing, so a broader scope of watch wearers. The most significant evidence of this change has been the introduction of the most scaled-down take on the line at 38.2mm last year, answering the call for more versatile sizing that many enthusiasts (especially those, like me, with smaller wrists) had been rallying for for years. Down below, I’m going to walk you through why this is such a big deal for this icon of watch history, the key details of the scaled-down Fifty-Fathoms, and some food for thought to keep in mind before trying it on yourself. [toc-section heading="History and Context"] Given that we have a complete guide to the Fifty Fathoms collection on our site already, I’m going to keep this section as quick and to the point as I can. I’m also going to hone in on the Automatique sub-collection, as it's the most relevant to our purposes here, and has the most verisimilitude to the original diving archetype in its design language. Though many brands were experimenting wi...
Worn & Wound
I’ll be honest and say it right off the bat: the G-SHOCK MRGB2000KT3A is not for me. Still, I am just one person in an endless ocean of watch enthusiasts, so I’ll try to take a look at the MRGB2000KT3A through the eyes of someone it is for. After all, I am not immune to the allure of a G-SHOCK; I’ve owned several, and they’ll always have a place in my heart as one of the first watch brands that I really loved. So, with my new persona adopted, let’s dive into the newest-and most limited-model in the MRG-B2000 series. The first notable thing about the MRGB2000KT3A is the name attached to it. Kobayashi Masao, a master metalsmith and engraver from Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, has lent his craft to the watch in a big way, etching a phoenix on the bezel. Perhaps I am making that sound rather tame, though; to clarify, the phoenix peeks out from the left side of the bezel, with flames mirroring its position on the right side. The engraving’s dramatic persona is based on the phoenix design on the tsuba iron guard-a fitting between a Japanese sword’s hilt and the blade-of Kobayashi Masao’s MR-G katana, making a connection between the watch and the artist’s own line of work. The deep-layer hardened titanium bezel wears a distinctive blue-green kurogane-iro (“iron color”) shade, thanks to a green DLC coating and brown Arc Ion Plating (AIP). Stippling further texturizes the bezel, and four emerald-capped screws sit at the 1, 5, 7, and 11 o’clock positions. No...
Fratello
Our friends over at Monochrome are on a roll. Today, the team releases another watch in their line of Montres de Souscription. Introducing the Montre de Souscription 5, the Angelus Chronograph Tachymètre in steel with a golden dial. This latest offering comes quickly after the Montre de Souscription 4, which was a Habring² with a […] Visit Introducing: The Monochrome Montre De Souscription 5 - Angelus Chronographe Tachymètre to read the full article.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Timex introduces the Timex Marlin Draper Automatic, a retro-inspired 37mm automatic watch now available in three versions.
Fratello
Mention Pan Am to watch fans, and the first association that comes to mind is the iconic Rolex GMT-Master. It has become one of the watch world’s most popular stories, always reflected in the classic travel watch with its red and blue “Pepsi” bezel. But apart from a watch created for Pan Am pilots to […] Visit Hands-On With The Christopher Ward C60 Clipper GMT to read the full article.
Monochrome
Created in 2015, the Slim d’Hermès is a watch that combines a certain rigour with elegance, slenderness and the usual design touch of the brand, in particular its typography. First released in a time-only version powered by a micro-rotor movement, it is defined by its clean lines and angular, airy lugs that give the Slim […]
Hodinkee
The brand's take on a field watch, with an interesting sandwich dial execution and plenty of lume.
Worn & Wound
Last year, Atelier Wen released one of my favorite watches of the year in the Inflection, a bold and ambitious integrated bracelet sports watch in tantalum. The reaction to that watch, to my mind, was puzzling. While there were certainly many supporters and admirers of the Inflection, there was also a vocal contingent of enthusiasts on Instagram and various watch blog comment sections (who, to be fair, were probably not customers for this particular watch anyway) griping about the price, and the fact that a brand centered on value and approachability would even make a watch like this (the retail price is just shy of $30,000). I’ve never cared much for the notion that a brand that makes affordable watches can’t also make watches that are very, very expensive. It’s all relative anyway, right? Rolex makes watches that are considered entry points to the brand at right around $10,000, but they also have watches in their catalog that sail into the six figures. That’s a pretty big delta, certainly larger than the one between Atelier Wen’s entry level pieces and the Inflection. But that’s a topic for another day. Today, we’re focusing on Atelier Wen returning their bread and butter, the Perception, an integrated bracelet sports watch they’ve been iterating on for several years now, this one in steel with a natural pietersite dial. It’s tempting to say that this watch represents Atelier Wen jumping on the stone dial trend, but the pietersite of it all changes ...
Hodinkee
FC will be official timekeeper and watch of the PPL – the upstart team pro padel league.
Deployant
Another Chinese New Year watch - this time by Louis Moinet who puts a métiers d'art image of a fire horse in their Tourbillon Puzzle watch.
Fratello
How do you feel about the combination of art and watches? The mix of the two is almost always polarizing. Quite often, an art-themed watch raises the question, “Is it for me?” A straightforward answer to that question comes in the form of a watch, the Louis Erard × Monica Bonvicini “Not For You.” There […] Visit Introducing: The Louis Erard × Monica Bonvicini “Not For You” Limited Edition Of 178 Pieces to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Having already launched it in yellow gold and then white gold, Piaget has logically followed up with the Polo 79 Two-Tone. While very much predictable, the Polo 79 Two-Tone is arguably the best looking of the trio with its retro combination of metals that are yellow and white gold, and not steel. The new Polo 79 is otherwise identical to its predecessors, right down to the cal. 1200P movement and “slotted” construction of the case and bracelet. Initial thoughts The Polo 79 Two-Tone isn’t a surprise but it’s a good looking watch that has more appeal than its single-colour counterparts. The combination of yellow and white gold feels distinctly 1980s and true to the spirit of the watch. Though not imaginative, the Polo 79 is solidly executed in any of its forms. The case and bracelet are done well, while the cal. 1200P is a tried-and-tested workhorse that is also impressively thin; it’s a little industrial but acceptable overall. The cal. 1200P The fact that the two-tone model is two colours of gold, rather than steel and gold, is a nice touch. But that means it is expensive, even more expensive than the single-tone versions that are already pricey. This costs US$91,000, while the yellow gold model is US$77,000. The price premium doesn’t really make sense since it’s essentially the same thing in terms of gold value and finishing (though it is arguable that white gold costs a little more than yellow). The Polo 79 line-up Polo glamour The two-tone Polo is hardly a...
Fratello
Two years ago, Piaget reintroduced its iconic Polo watch. The Polo 79 in full 18K yellow gold was a very appropriate way to celebrate the maison’s 150th anniversary. For those who thought that version was a bit too flashy, last year, Piaget introduced another variant in all 18K white gold. Now, if that one went […] Visit Introducing: The Piaget Polo 79 In A Tantalizing Two-Tone Configuration to read the full article.
Monochrome
Since its founding, Atelier Wen has positioned itself as a link between contemporary watchmaking and Chinese cultural heritage. Created by Robin Tallendier and Wilfried Buiron, the brand has steadily built its own design identity, drawing from architecture, traditional crafts and modern manufacturing. The Perception collection, its integrated-bracelet sports watch, has become the core expression. Introduced […]
Fratello
Today, we go hands-on with a watch from one of my favorite small brands. Atelier Wen rarely misses a beat with its releases, and the new Millésime Perception Xuán is no exception. As we’ll see, it uses a familiar platform but trades engraving for stoneworking. Plus, for those who struggle with the idea of a […] Visit Hands-On: The New Atelier Wen Millésime Perception Xuán to read the full article.
Monochrome
How do you approach a timepiece like this new Toledano & Chan…? While it is a watch, since it tells the time, the B/1.3r, like all previous models of the young brand, is not conventional. It’s not your daily, classic round watch. It is a deliberate statement, a watch that doesn’t play within the rules […]
Hodinkee
With an educational focus and unashamedly broad shoulders, the Decompression 02 is an uncommonly serious offering in the dive watch genre.
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