1,948 articles · 15 videos found · page 39 of 66
Deployant
Vacheron Constantin introduces a host of new timepieces for 2024, including one Haute Joaillerie piece. These novelties include new variations of the Overseas, Traditionelle Tourbillon Chronograph, Patrimony Manual-Winding, Patrimony Moon Phase Retrograde Date and Égérie Moon Phase, as well the Égérie The Pleats of Time concept watch and Haute Joaillerie Grand Lady Kalla. Vacheron ConstantinRead More
Teddy Baldassarre
If you own any automatic watches at all, especially enough of them to ensure that you’re not wearing the same one daily, you will inevitably face the issue of keeping those watches running, and set to the proper time and date, when they’re not on your wrist. Some collectors choose to simply commit to re-winding and re-setting their automatic watches when their power reserve runs down - it’s a ritual that many traditionalists actually enjoy - but others would rather invest in some high-tech hardware to lend a hand. Here is where a watch winder comes in. These helpful and often luxuriously appointed machines are designed to store your precious self-winding timepieces while also keeping them charged via electronic, motorized rotations - the timing, direction, and duration of which can often be pre-set and monitored - that mimic the natural movement of a wearer’s wrist. For those ready to dip their toe into the wide world of watch winders, we’ve gathered 10 favorites from 10 brands representing as wide a variety as possible in terms of styles, sizes, and price points. Wolf Roadster 4PC Watch Winder ($2,095) Wolf watch winders, known for their fusion of leather, wood, glass, and steel, work on a 24-hour cycle, with six-hour periods of intermittent activity followed by “sleep” periods that allow the tension in the watches’ mainsprings to ease, avoiding over-winding. Fifty different cycles are possible, allowing the owner to specify factors such as direc...
SJX Watches
When Vacheron Constantin celebrated its 260th anniversary in 2015 with the Harmony collection of cushion-shaped watches, the standout was easily the split-seconds chronograph. Seemingly ordinary on its face, the Harmony split-seconds was powered by the cal. 3500, an all-new rattrapante chronograph calibre with a novel automatic winding mechanism. The movement was gorgeous, but disappeared from the catalogue – until last year. The cal. 3500 made its comeback with the Traditionnelle Split-Seconds Chronograph Ultra-Thin Collection Excellence Platine. Like the other Collection Excellence Platine (CEP) watches, the Traditionnelle split-seconds is a limited edition – only 15 pieces in fact – that utilises platinum generously throughout the watch, but it is unique as there is no standard production equivalent in the catalogue. In short, it is a special watch. The cal. 3500 with its intricate chronograph mechanism and novel peripheral rotor Initial thoughts On its face, the Traditionnelle split-seconds is an elegant watch with a restrained, almost simple style. Its proportions are wide and slim, creating a graceful profile. The thinness exaggerates the case diameter slightly, so it does seem a bit wider than it is, especially with the longish lugs. In typical CEP style, the dial is nearly monochromatic, rendered in grey and silver, with the only colour coming from the indicator hands for the chronograph and power reserve. It’s a simple combination, but a good one. The pla...
Time+Tide
The day after SIHH, I found myself walking around the cobbled streets of Geneva’s old town. It’s a very different Geneva to the vast, softly furnished halls of the Palexpo, or even the squat monoliths of the famed manufactures, with their clean rooms and airlocks. No, this street was winding, cobbled and, even though the … ContinuedThe post INSIGHT: Inside the award-winning world of Rexhep Rexhepi’s Akrivia appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
Is there a brand that more completely blurs the line between the definition of “microbrand” and “independent brand” than Brew? It depends, of course, on how you define each term. If a brand needs to exist in the haute horlogerie space and craft movements or other components from scratch in an artisanal way to be considered “independent,” then Brew will probably never qualify under those terms. But if your criteria is an intentional, well defined point of view on watchmaking with a clear, instantly recognizable design language, all executed according to the singular creative vision of the brand’s founder, Brew easily fits. I’ve never been one to see microbrand as a pejorative or diminishing label, but in Brew’s case I might argue that it doesn’t necessarily reflect the brand’s growth over the last decade, and the widespread recognition and popularity they’ve found outside of the enthusiast space. Importantly, Brew continues to find interesting ways to iterate on the themes established since the brand’s founding by Jonathan Ferrer, the founder and designer behind the brand. It would be easy for Brew to simply pump out new colorways for successful models, but instead they’ve taken steps (sometimes, admittedly, slower than some collectors and enthusiasts would like) to gradually expand what people think of when they consider what Brew actually is. To that end, their latest watch is a new version of their manually wound Metric (with a Swiss movemen...
SJX Watches
On Episode 16 of the SJX Podcast, SJX and Brandon discuss ongoing horology events in Paris and Singapore, and debrief on the new Piaget Andy Warhol. It’s also the debut of a new segment comparing two watches head-to-head. First up is the Ulysse Nardin Freak – how does the original, now 25 years old, stack up to the new Freak S? Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.
Monochrome
Orologi Calamai isn’t a household name in the industry, but this small Italian brand has been producing intriguing, aeronautical-inspired watches since its founding in 2012. Unfortunately, MONOCHROME can’t cover the entire array of small, independent brands out there (we try, believe me), but Orologi Calamai definitely caught our eye, and we’ve covered them in the […]
Hodinkee
You can trust real vintage lovers to dig deep to get a reissue right.
Worn & Wound
Sinn dropped their Spring novelties this morning, an event that’s always of keen interest to hardcore watch enthusiasts. Sinn is one of our favorite brands for a whole number of reasons, but I’ve always felt that part of their appeal is in their somewhat elusive, “if you know, you know,” nature. Part of that is the fact that they have a single American distributor, and don’t have the flashiest social media presence. In the US, they still seem very German and are truly a brand for connoisseurs. If you see someone wearing a Sinn, you know that they sought it out, and that it might not have been easy to find. Sinn’s pattern for novelty releases over the last few years seems to be to release a mix of modern tool watches and vintage throwbacks simultaneously. This year’s vintage throwback is a manually wound chronograph, the 103 St Ty Hd. The 103 is their core chronograph model, the simplest and arguably least fussy, and has been made in a huge number of variants over the years. This new version has a steel case and old-fashioned acrylic crystal, and a panda-style dial layout with red accents. Fans of the 103 will notice immediately that the 12, 6, 9 (with day/date at 3) layout from previous 103 references is missing, a result of the manually wound Sellita SW 510 M powering the new watch. Here we get a classic three register, no date dial in the same familiar 41mm case. This is Sinn’s first manually wound 103 in 20 years, which should make the release of the...
Worn & Wound
One of the big hits of the recently completed Windup Watch Fair in San Francisco came from Vero, a brand we’ve been covering for years. The transformation that Vero has made as a company doesn’t get enough coverage. Longtime readers might remember the time we took a look at how Vero was manufacturing watches at their Oregon headquarters, but since that time, the brand has changed their strategy and found their groove with an entirely new aesthetic. In 2021, with the launch of the Open Water diver, Vero made a hard pivot toward outsourcing their manufacturing to trusted Swiss partners, and refocusing the brand on customer service (they now offer a ten year warranty) and shifting the design language into something a little bolder and more colorful. The Open Water and Workhorse Chrono have proven to be durable hits on the microbrand scene, each spawning multiple new references since they made their debuts, and now they’re joined by the Meridian, a handsome manually wound piece that is a completely Vero take on the classic field watch. Vero characterizes the Meridian as a “weekend watch,” which is borne out in the casual color schemes of the two models that recently launched the collection. First up is the Rambler, a bright blue dial with a red and white outer track, and easy to read black Arabic numerals at each hour. We also have the Rally, which is something of an inversion of the Rambler with its cream colored dial and accents in the perimeter in blue and r...
Hodinkee
The best of the best go toe-to-toe
SJX Watches
When it comes to finely-finished, time-only movements, the ultimate Seiko offerings are the Credor Eichi II and Grand Seiko Spring Drive 20th Anniversary. The Japanese equivalent of watches like the Akrivia Chronometre Contemporain and Philippe Dufour Simplicity, the pair are the work of the Micro Artist Studio and finished to the same magnificent level, broadly speaking. (The Grand Seiko 8 Day is of the same quality, but it is a much larger and more complex watch.) Because the movements, the 7R14 in the Eichi II and 9R02 in Grand Seiko SBGZ001 and SBGZ003, are fundamentally identical, comparing the finer details of the two – an enlightened, obsessive nitpicking – makes for some interesting conclusions. The 7R14 in the Eichi II (left) and the 9R02 of the Grand Seiko SBGZ001 The sampled are both finished examples that were purchased in stores, and not prototypes, so both are representative of their respective model and movement. Though both were made in the Seiko-Epson’s Micro Artist Studio, probably by the very same craftsmen, the Eichi II was produced in 2015, while the Grand Seiko SBGZ001 dates to 2019, which is the year of its launch, and is the property of Mark Cho, founder of menswear retailer The Armoury. Same but different Both movements share the same architecture and layout, with the key functional difference being the power reserve, in both duration and display. The Eichi II’s 7R14 has a single barrel and a 60-hour power reserve, indicated on a fan-sha...
Hodinkee
A thoroughly modern take on a classic dress watch.
SJX Watches
Comparison is often said to be the thief of joy, but the numerous attributes of the Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 5610P and Vacheron Constantin Overseas Self-Winding Ultra-Thin ref. 2500v are arguably best understood in a side-by-side format. The watches are extraordinarily similar — each watch features a platinum case and bracelet, a slim micro-rotor automatic movement, and a rare two-hand, no-date configuration. Beyond their tangible similarities, both watches are limited editions priced within 7% of one another, and were launched to mark milestone anniversaries of their respective collections. Initial thoughts Rarely do rival brands treat collectors to such a perfect match-up. Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin could hardly have done more to go toe-to-toe, and have unexpectedly made 2026 the golden age of the platinum sports watch. The original Patek Philippe Nautilus from 1976 was provocative precisely because it was made in steel at a time when ‘high-end’ still meant precious metal. Five decades later, the steel sports watch trend has arguably peaked, making the stealthy platinum ref. 5610P a fitting tribute. It captures the look of the original without diluting its legacy with yet another steel variant. While Vacheron Constantin has dabbled in steel sports watches since as far back as 1977 with the 222, the Overseas collection only debuted in 1996. Now in its third generation, the Overseas has evolved into a substantive rival to both the Patek Philippe Nauti...
Fratello
Last year, Panerai refreshed its Luminor Marina collection and introduced slimmer cases with increased water resistance ratings. This year, the brand is playing directly to my wheelhouse by updating its Luminor collection. For reference, these watches include manual-winding movements, which I love to see and use. We were fortunate to have these pieces in our […] Visit Introducing: The New Panerai Luminor Collection to read the full article.
Quill & Pad
Today, I present two new models that caught my attention: the automatic Lab Series 1.S, which offers the rare combination of automatic winding and small seconds, and the Lab Series 1.GMT, featuring a straightforward second time zone function with a central 24-hour GMT hand. The post New Release: Lab Series 1 by Holthinrichs Watches skilfully transports us into a retrofuturistic reality appeared first on Quill & Pad.
Monochrome
Few timepieces showcase the technical sophistication of traditional watchmaking as clearly as minute repeaters. The new Girard-Perregaux Minute Repeater Flying Bridges introduces this complication with its demanding mechanism, combined with a tourbillon and an automatic micro-rotor winding system. The watch is built around the brand’s recognisable Three Bridges architecture, presented in a modern openworked interpretation […]
Monochrome
Abraham-Louis Perrelet made his mark in watchmaking history with his work on automatic winding. The modern Perrelet brand is recognised for its patented Double Rotor and Turbine watches, which feature hypnotic spinning rotors on the dial. Much less theatrical, Perrelet’s Weekend collection offers more traditional dress watches in 39mm cases with a subtle retro vibe. […]
Monochrome
Having mastered the art of ultra-thin mechanical movements, Piaget made its foray into jewellery watches in the 1960s. Unveiled at the Basel Fair in 1969, Piaget’s 21st Century Collection showcased avant-garde jewellery watches, including textured gold cuffs with hardstone dials, powered by the brand’s ultra-thin 2mm manual-winding calibre 9P. In 1973, Piaget introduced the predecessor […]
Worn & Wound
One of the most useful watch complications in horological history is also one of its most forgotten. The ring of a mechanical alarm may seem like a lost artifact, like a rotary phone dial or a manual transmission, all once the necessities of 20th century civilization. And yet, functionality of a settable and mechanical-winding alarm into the tiny confines of a wristwatch is an impressive mechanical feat, one underrated among dive bezels, world timers, pulsations scales, and tachymeters. The alarm watch was meant for the everyman, whether they’re travelers, titans of industry, or merely early risers. Just like there is appreciation for a watch’s ability to do more than just tell time, there is the aural sensation for a watch to produce something more for the senses than just sight. Eterna was the first to patent an alarm caliber as early as 1908, eventually introducing an alarm wristwatch in 1914 at the Swiss National Exhibition in Berne. It was an impressive achievement, but it wouldn’t last: there was the problem that the alarm could only sound for less than 10 seconds, barely enough to rouse a moderate sleeper, as well as the fact that when the alarm was set, accuracy suffered. However, the Eterna did achieve something significant: it spurred Vulcain, in nearby La Chaux-de-Fonds, to begin developing its own alarm mechanism in 1942. The resulting Vulcain Cricket, debuting in 1947, fixed its predecessor’s shortcomings: namely, separate barrels for the alarm s...
Worn & Wound
To me, a Timex watch is like an automatic Honda Civic; a taste of bigger and better fun that offers a lot of enjoyment on its own, even without a manual transmission and turbocharger. My first analog watch was a Timex Weekender, and it opened my eyes to the world of timepieces in a way that even a digital Casio couldn’t. So whenever the iconic budget brand announces something out of their normal range of basic watches, I get excited. Will it be my next easy recommendation to a young watch newbie, or “just another Timex”? It all depends on execution and, most crucially, price range. With that in mind, let’s take a look at two new additions to the Timex Marlin range: the Jet Quartz Chronograph, and GMT. First, the Jet Quartz Chronograph. Two references are available, both with contrasting subdials at the 3 and 6 o’clock positions, and a date window at 12. The TW2Y4600 sports a silver dial with black subdials, while the TW2Y4700 swaps in a brown dial and white subdials. Both feature a 40mm recycled stainless steel case with pushers at 2 and 4, and a knurled crown. Strap options differ, though, as the silver dial model stays secured via a matching stainless steel 6-link bracelet, while the brown dial is paired with an obsidian leather strap with quick-release spring bars. Inside both is a quartz movement and the cases are water resistant up to 50 meters; a domed Hesalite crystal and screwed-on case back with “Jet” text cap off the 1960s look of the watch. It’...
Deployant
Laco introduces their next evolution of their most rugged watch - the Atacama 2. Automatic winding with interesting features.
Monochrome
What if you want to see as much as possible of a mechanical movement, without compromising the practicality of an automatic one? The simplest answer, sort of, is the micro-rotor automatic, of course. This neatly integrates a small winding mass into the movement, without obscuring it from view. It also challenges manufacturers to flex their […]
Hodinkee
Carl F. Bucherer’s peripheral technology puts an elegant new spin on automatic-winding watches
Monochrome
Since its introduction in 1932, many consider the Calatrava reference 96 as the paragon of an elegant dress watch. Although the collection has expanded in different directions, fans of the classical, timeless, time-only, ultra-slim, manual-winding dress watch will be pleased to learn about the latest Calatrava released during Watches & Wonders 2025. With its vintage-inspired […]
Monochrome
Patek Philippe introduces a new and powerful manual-winding calibre for the equally new Calatrava 8 Day Ref. 5328G. As you have gleaned from the name, the new twin barrel movement delivers an impressive 192-hour or 8-day power reserve. While the watch is officially a Calatrava, it shares traits with the more casual aesthetic of the […]
Worn & Wound
I attended the 5th year of Nomos’s annual forum this week, and even though the theme was about design and colors, it was the new manual winding movement that received the most attention. As a seasoned writer who has closely followed Nomos’s trajectory, I often find myself anticipating the brand’s future moves. However, even with my extensive experience, the unveiling of the Tangente 2date ($2,760-$3,020) caught me off guard. I will be very open about what resonated with me, and what left me puzzled. Let’s begin with the movement itself. The DUW 4601 is a new manual winding caliber with a slim height of 2.8mm, and 52 hours of power reserve. Speaking with Mirko Heyne, head of research and development at Nomos, I learned that the previous manual winding caliber, DUW 4101, had the same height with a normal date complication, 42 hours of power reserve, and not the nice finishing we see on the new 4601. Both have the Swing System, the proprietary escapement developed by Nomos. In summary, the new movement delivers extra power reserve, better finishing, and has an additional date complication while still remaining the same height as the previous movement – that’s because the patented date wheel is integrated into the mainplate. Another significant technical advancement in the 4601 caliber is the quick set date mechanism. You can easily jump forward with the crown in the second position. When I saw the standalone movement with Mirko, my first impression was the sli...
Worn & Wound
At Watches & Wonders 2024, Grand Seiko announced the new 9SA4 caliber and the first two watches featuring it, the SLGW002 and SLGW003. As a refresher, the 9SA4 is a manual hi-beat (36,000 bph), 80-hour, time-only caliber featuring their in-house dual-impulse escapement, first seen in the 9SA5. With a power reserve on the back of the movement, beautiful bridge designs and finishing, and a unique “wagtail-bird-shaped” winding click, it set a new bar for Grand Seiko’s mechanical calibers. But, perhaps just as exciting as the movement itself was that the watches featuring it were sized at an idyllic 38.6mm diameter and 9.95mm thickness with a 20mm lug, addressing the naysayer’s concerns around Grand Seiko’s sizing. While a pair of fantastic releases, since introduction, we have been wondering where we will see this movement next. Well, we just got our answer, and I have to tell you, I’m equally surprised and delighted. They went vintage rather than with the new case and a different dial, which would have been most expected. Yes, they decided to bring back, as a limited edition, of course, a “recreation” of the 45GS from 1968. A little history, the 45GS came out a year after the 44GS and featured the same case design, but differed in that it featured the brand’s first hi-beat manual wound movement, the 4520. The SLGW005 – the return of the 45GS The 44/45GS case defines the Grand Seiko “Grammar of Design” as set out by Taro Tanaka, with flat, Zaratsu poli...
Time+Tide
The tourbillon is already one of the most mechanically impressive but elegant complications, neatly integrated into a tiny radius. For Watches & Wonders 2024, IWC sought to further iterate on the elegance of its manual-winding Portugieser Tourbillon, but rather than just introducing a new dial colour or strap option, the brand added a complication. Usually, … ContinuedThe post The IWC Portugieser Hand-Wound Tourbillon Day & Night shows the globe in a novel way appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Tributing the very first Grand Seiko, the brand introduces a star-studded, manual-winding limited edition.The post The Grand Seiko Starry Night SBGW314 puts some sparkle in their history appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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