2,052 articles · 456 videos found · page 41 of 84
Monochrome
Goliardo Della Balda’s dream of producing high-quality Swiss timepieces at affordable prices materialised with the founding of Delbana watches in 1931. Like many Swiss brands, the quartz crisis took its toll in the 1970s, but the brand was rescued in the mid-1990s and, in 2002, merged with Delma Watch Ltd. to focus on accessible, mid-century-inspired […]
Fratello
For many of us, there’s a clear line between the watches we liked and the first one we considered “serious.” Maybe it was the first mechanical piece we bought with our hard-earned money. Maybe it was the first watch that required actual research, comparison, and a deep breath before hitting “confirm order.” In today’s episode […] Visit Fratello Talks: Different Approaches To Buying Your First “Serious” Watch to read the full article.
Monochrome
Jack Mason is a young micro-brand founded in Dallas, Texas, in 2015, and initially made its name in US retail before making a decisive turn towards enthusiast-focused, direct-to-consumer watchmaking. Recent releases have shown fewer fashion cues, more mechanical credibility, and an emphasis on real-world usability. The Strat-o-Timer GMT has been central to that shift. After […]
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Long-term review of the Omega Seamaster 2541.80 quartz with 90s Bond-era charm, 300m capability, ultra-reliable accuracy, and the real-world quirks you should know.
Monochrome
Since founding Sarpaneva Watches in Helsinki, the independent Finnish watchmaker Stepan Sarpaneva has consistently explored an approach shaped by the Nordic visual universe, mechanical honesty and a powerful sense of narrative. Best known for his Korona case design and expressive moon displays, Sarpaneva has built a recognisable catalogue which offers a combination of traditional watchmaking […]
Video
Monochrome
British indie brand Farer was founded in 2015 by four friends with backgrounds in watch retail. Using Swiss-made mechanical movements, Farer offers a portfolio of confident designs with an eccentric British twist and competitive prices, thanks to the brand’s direct-to-consumer approach that eliminates intermediaries. The name Farer, derived from Old English terms like seafarer and […]
Fratello
Collaborations in high watchmaking are nothing new, but most stop at the wrist. The LA VDB-03 Louis Varius Project goes a step further by pairing a modern GMT wristwatch with a large mechanical clock designed to wind and reset it automatically. Developed jointly by Louis Vuitton and De Bethune, the project brings together a contemporary […] Visit Introducing: The Louis Vuitton × De Bethune LVDB-03 Louis Varius to read the full article.
Monochrome
Urwerk’s mechanical ingenuity and sci-fi vessels have propelled the brand into the realm of cosmic watchmaking. Renowned for their wandering hour and satellite indications, founders Martin Frei and Felix Baumgartner captured the three dimensions of time, rotation and orbit with the UR-100 SpaceTime of 2019. An evolution of the UR-100, the UR-100V returns to Earth […]
SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet celebrated 150 years of existence in 2025, but its celebrations have continued into the new year with the 150 Heritage Pocket Watch. While many large ultra-complicated pocket watches are exercises in nostalgia, the 150 Heritage is a modern marvel of micro-mechanical engineering with never-before-seen functionality inside a surprisingly compact 50 mm case. Initial thoughts Few brands can match Audemars Piguet’s track record of producing Grand Complication pocket watches, but the 150 Heritage surprises by adapting a calibre originally intended for the wrist. A complicated pocket watch with a simple name, the 150 Heritage is built around the cal. 1150, a newly developed hand-wound movement that adapts the architecture of the ambitious cal. 1000 developed for the Code 11.59 Universelle, and as such it includes past RD-series innovations. That said, the differences between the Universelle and the 150 Heritage are quite significant, thanks to an intriguing new feature: a hinged mechanical calculator, isolated from the movement. The intricate system is housed inside the case back and allows the user to effortlessly cycle through dates across any year to be able to read a surprising number of culturally-relevant dates based on lunar, solar and lunisolar cycles. The device feels a bit like a time machine, as the lucky owner can go into the past or look into the future and find out the exact dates of Catholic Easter, Ramadan, Equinoxes and many others, along with...
Monochrome
The first mechanical clocks were actually bell towers without dials or hands. Bells would simply ring to mark the hours or special events, starting in the late 13th century in Europe (Italy and Germany to be specific). The name “clock” even comes from the Latin word for bell, clocca. Among the most famous of these […]
Video
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.
Monochrome
Think we’ve seen everything a tourbillon can do? Think again. After decades of silence, an illustrious name returns to the world of watchmaking. Henri Grandjean is back with a brand aimed at reminding enthusiasts that some names never lose their magic. And it comes back with a new twist up his sleeve – a mechanical […]
Fratello
Why do we choose analog watches in a digital world? It’s a valid question, as these mechanical timekeepers (though still functional) are no longer the necessity they once were. Why, then, do they remain not just an obsession for the few but also relevant and ever-present objects in people’s private lives and even pop culture? […] Visit Fratello Talks: Why We Chose Analog Watches In A Digital World to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
A series of features identifying the most extraordinary mechanical masterpieces in history, blending precision, innovation, and craftsmanship. We all have our favourite timepieces either in our collection or those incredible horological masterpieces that have been invented or created through the ages. This series will showcase examples from the previous centuries up to the present day and look at the importance and impact on modern day timekeeping. In the early 1960s, NASA realised astronauts needed reliable, tough wristwatches for space missions, especially for tasks outside the spacecraft like on the Moon. So, NASA secretly bought several chronograph-type watches off the shelf. They tested watches from Omega, Rolex, Longines-Wittnauer, and perhaps a few others under extreme conditions. “Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its 5-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.” These were the immortal words of Captain James T. Kirk, of the Star Ship Enterprise, played by William Shatner, in the hugely popular series, Star Trek, first broadcast in 1966. Today we are still fascinated with space travel and the extraordinary developments that have impacted on all of our lives since Mankind first set foot on the Moon on the 21st July 1969. It is often stated that the technology that took Apollo 11 astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mic...
Worn & Wound
There’s a “don’t change it if it ain’t broke” mentality in Swiss watchmaking. Progress is slow, and it often seems that there’s a general distrust of change. An example of this is in the mechanical movements that power most of our watches. Chances are, you have at least one watch with an ETA 2824 or a movement based on the 2824 in your collection. If you’re like me, you have several. For Swiss-made watches of a certain price point, they are the standard. They are “workhorses” that, while not the most feature-rich, offer reliability and serviceability. And part of the reason for that is that the design has been around, largely unchanged, since the 1970s (the 2824-2, which is the current standard, was released in the 80s). That is, until 2013, when ETA launched 80-hour movements based on the 2824-2. First debuted in a Tissot as the Powermatic 80, ETA nearly doubled the 2824’s power reserve by slowing the escapement’s frequency from 28,800bph to 21,600bph, introducing synthetic components, and increasing the mainspring’s capacity. The biggest update to the 2824 format in a generation (though they no longer use that numbering), as ETA is part of Swatch, these movements gave the group’s catalog of brands under Omega an unexpected edge in the market, but were not available to third-party brands, thus limiting their overall impact. The ETA 2824 featured in a Sinn 556i In 2003, Sellita began supplying movements to third parties as a response to Swatch’s...
Video
Fratello
Ask yourself: why do you wear an analog watch in the digital world? Before you answer this, think beyond prestige, status, or luxury. Also, go deeper than the history of wristwatches, the mechanical movements and complications you admire, and the models you desire. Instead, think about wearing a mechanical watch in your digitally dominated world. […] Visit Why Do You Wear An Analog Watch In A Digital World - The Psychology Behind It to read the full article.
Monochrome
Undeniably, recent years have seen a transformation in mechanical watchmaking, surprisingly in both directions. While traditional brands have gone up in price quite drastically, we have seen quite a change on the other side of the spectrum. What once required thousands of euros can now be had for a fraction of that: finishing, materials, in-house […]
SJX Watches
Now an annual affair, Blancpain has just released the Villeret Calendrier Chinois Traditionnel 2026 for the year of the fire horse arriving on February 17, 2026. Though it’s based on a longstanding model, the 2026 edition is dressed in striking new livery. A 50-piece limited edition in platinum with a salmon-coloured grand feu enamel dial, the Calendrier Chinois marks the Year of the Fire Horse in a way that few brands can: with a fully-mechanical Chinese calendar complication. Initial thoughts Building a traditional Chinese calendar complication on wristwatch scale was a real first back in 2012 when Blancpain first unveiled the Calendrier Chinois Traditionnel. While many brands introduce yearly limited editions to honour each year’s symbol of the Chinese zodiac, Blancpain’s annual edition is elevated by a thematic sincerity that comes along with the dedicated complication. This specific edition aside, the Blancpain Chinese calendar is notable and interesting for being one of the few such calendars on the market. It’s a technical achievement and is further upgraded with Blancpain’s patented under-lug correctors for the calendar. The defining colour of the 2026 Chinese calendar comes from its warm, salmon-tone dial. Executed in milky grand feu enamel, the dial is as glossy as ever, and features twin Blancpain ‘secret signatures’ on the lower half of the dial. The often underrated Villeret collection is one of the subtler gems in modern high horology, and it is...
Monochrome
For over 180 years, L’Epée 1839 has been one of the greatest specialists in high-end mechanical clocks, from traditional carriage timepieces to captivating, bold creations like the 1520-component Albatross and other time-telling objects developed in cooperation with MB&F;, cars and aeroplanes for Tiffany & Co., or an Imperial Hot Air Balloon for Louis Vuitton, to […]
Monochrome
For LVMH Watch Week 2026, Hublot adds Sage Green editions to its Classic Fusion line: a 33mm quartz, a 42mm automatic, and a 45mm chronograph, introducing a soft, pastel tone to bridge sportiness and sophistication. Just like earlier Essential Grey and Taupe releases, these new references pair contemporary colour with a certain understated attire. The […]
Video
Monochrome
For LVMH Watch Week 2026 in Milan, TAG Heuer introduces the Carrera Seafarer Chronograph, a contemporary re-edition of one of the brand’s earliest sailing watches. The Seafarer name dates back to 1949, when Heuer created the Solunar and Seafarer models for Abercrombie & Fitch. These were among the first mechanical watches to incorporate tidal information, […]
SJX Watches
TAG Heuer rides the vintage reissue wave with the Carrera Seafarer, a chronograph that tracks the tides with a quirky mechanical complication originally developed for the American retailer Abercrombie & Fitch in the early 1950s. Delivered in the brand’s popular ‘Glassbox’ case, the sun-bleached aesthetic features a champagne-coloured dial and Intrepid Teal accents to capture the spirit of mid-century maritime instruments in a modern, wearable package. Initial thoughts The past year has shown that TAG Heuer is doubling down on technical credibility. The brand launched carbon hairsprings that are now ready for mass production as an alternative to silicon hairsprings, and the brand has also regained the coveted position as the official timekeeper of Formula 1. Furthering its bid to recapture lost magic, the Seafarer is a modern Carrera ‘Glassbox’ infused with the immense charm of the original Seafarer models signed by Abercrombie & Fitch. The Carrera Seafarer is powered by the modern TH20-04 movement, derived from the TH20-00, that’s been tweaked to show the times of high and low tide using a mechanism likely adapted from a moon phase indictor. While still reliant on the simplistic concept developed for the 1950s models, the complication’s gear ratios have been refined and modernised by TAG Heuer engineers. As a result, the Seafarer displays the local tide times for a given place, serving as a proper tool watch for birdwatchers, anglers and fishermen in gene...
Hodinkee
The new Seiko Prospex Alpinist Mechanical brings technical upgrades to a fan favorite
Time+Tide
CIGA's latest mechanical complication, a modern take on a wandering hours watch, is a fitting follow-up to its GPHG-winning Blue Planet.The post CIGA design’s Time Cipher puts wandering hours on an ultra-dark-dialled watch appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Monochrome
At the dawn of mechanical time, hands weren’t a thing as bells would chime to signal an event or relay the hours. These giant mechanical bell towers were seen in Europe throughout the Middle Ages, with examples like the Salisbury Cathedral clock in the 14th century still functioning today (after restoration, of course). These early […]
Video
Question, suggestion, or just want to say hi? Drop a note.