Results for Type XX

W Worn & Wound

Worn & Wound

Aug 25, 2024

16 Of The Best Pilot And Aviation Style Watches For Under $1,000

In our most recent shop video, Devin looks at 16 of the best pilot and aviation-style watches on the market for under $1,000. One of the more popular and distinct watch types out there, pilot and aviation watches have a rich history with a broad selection of options. What other watches would you have liked to see make the list? In our most recent shop video, Devin looks at 16 of the best pilot and aviation-style watches on the market for under $1,000. One of the more popular and distinct watch types out there, pilot and aviation watches have a rich history with a broad selection of options. What other watches would you have liked to see make the list? The post 16 Of The Best Pilot And Aviation Style Watches For Under $1,000 appeared first on Worn & Wound.

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Worn & Wound

Aug 21, 2024

Hands-On: the Zealandic Iceborne

Maybe it’s just me but I find the micro and independent watch world to be utterly fascinating. And it is so for many reasons, one being the sheer variety of options we have for all genres of watches which are available at a wide variety of prices. From GMTs and elegant dressy models to divers and field watches. And there are indeed many options to choose from in all of these categories. One of my favorite things about watch writing is bringing readers stories on the little guys, so I’m therefore pleased to be writing this article to tell you about the just released Zealandic Iceborne. A new brand founded in New Zealand by Derek Chuan whose project I’ve been following for the past two years now, so it’s nice to be able to get my hands on the prototypes.  Derek has been working on this project for longer than I have known him. And his idea of creating a watch which represents New Zealand has been on par with the recent trends of endowing watches with textured and nature-inspired dials. Between you and me, Derek has been working on this long before many other brands probably have. And this is just to say that the Iceborne has been a long time in the making and I believe it shows. Both from a visual perspective as well as from a spec sheet one. The Iceborne has a look of its own and it is made of the right stuff to be a proper field and adventure watch. It will be made available via a Kickstarter campaign at the introductory price of $441 USD.  $483 Hands-On: the Zea...

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W Worn & Wound

Worn & Wound

Ming NASA Artemis Missions Xeric Aug 20, 2024

A New Chronograph From Xeric Celebrates the Upcoming NASA Artemis Missions

Xeric is a watch brand with a cult following based on a reputation for creating some of the most ingenious and affordable statement watches in the microbrand world. Their pieces are often conversation starters, featuring unusual time telling displays and lots of color. If you’re familiar with some of their avant-garde designs, it’s perhaps not a surprise that they have an entire sub-collection of NASA branded watches. It just kind of makes sense that watches with a decidedly futuristic, sci-fi inspired look would connect to the space agency. Their latest NASA piece, however, is almost subdued in comparison to prior efforts, and if you’re interested in jumping into Xeric but not ready for a watch with complex satellite time telling mechanism, the new Artemis Chrono might be your speed.  The Artemis Chrono is named for the NASA program that will bring human beings to the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo missions over 50 years ago. Returning to the moon is an important space travel milestone so it’s no surprise that Xeric would celebrate it with a limited edition release. The basis for the design, according to Xeric, is an updated take on the tachymeter equipped chronograph, which of course is exactly the type of watch that has become famous as the space watch over the last five decades.  For the new Artemis Chrono, the bezel has become a focal point and is highlighted with bold colors and has been glass coated to aid in legibility and make the whol...

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W Worn & Wound

Worn & Wound

Grand Seiko US exclusives Aug 18, 2024

A Week in Watches Ep. 87 - TAG Heuer Actually Made a Cool Watch and More!

On episode 87 of A Week in Watches, we take a look at a couple of new releases and then talk a bit about the state of the watch industry. First up are some sexy new Grand Seiko US exclusives with Kirazuri dials. After, we have the newest offering from TAG Heuer x Hodinkee, which revives a very cool old complication. Lastly, Zach Weiss gives his two cents on all of the gloomy news about the watch industry and whether or not it should matter to enthusiasts. Next week, the Windup Watch Shop is celebrating National Aviation Week with a focus on pilot watches of all types. From traditional fliegers to modern ana-digis, very affordable quartz to aspirational chronos, simple designs to complex functions, there’s something for everyone. So head over to Windupwatchshop.com starting August 19th and embrace your inner aviator! The post A Week in Watches Ep. 87 – TAG Heuer Actually Made a Cool Watch and More! appeared first on Worn & Wound.

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M Monochrome

Monochrome

Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Selfwinding Chronograph Aug 16, 2024

Hands-on - The Irresistible Allure of the Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Selfwinding Chronograph

Ever-evolving, Audemars Piguet’s Code 11.59 collection was given a facelift in 2023 with a series of stainless steel models. Respectful of the complex case architecture that has few detractors, the controversy surrounding the somewhat dull dials of the inaugural members was addressed with a new embossed dial pattern and revisited indices, hands and typeface. A […]

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S SJX Watches

SJX Watches

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date Arguably Aug 16, 2024

In-Depth: The Prestige and Patents of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date

Arguably the most prestigious Rolex wristwatch, the Oyster Perpetual Day-Date was introduced in 1956 and has only ever been available in precious metals – with the exception of a handful of prototypes in stainless steel. From its beginnings the Day-Date had a particular significance in the Rolex catalogue. The brand’s advertising from the 1960s for the Day-Date carried the phrase “Men who guide the destinies of the world of the world wear Rolex watches”. It was also during this time that the now-familiar “President” nickname for the model emerged when American president Lyndon Johnson, along with several of his successors, were photographed wearing a Day-Date. The Oyster Perpetual Day-Date ref. 6611 of 1956 The Day-Date was the first wristwatch to indicate the date as well as day of the week spelled out in full, a technical feat at the time. In the near-seven decades since, the Day-Date has remained consistent in terms of design and function: the date sits in a window at three o’clock, while the day is displayed within the arc-shaped window at 12 o’clock. Though the dial layout has stayed the same, the mechanics behind the display have been refined and improved substantially over the years. Today’s models – namely the Day-Date 36 and Day-Date 40 – are powered by the cal. 3255. The movement boasts all of Rolex’s technical innovations, along with a double instantaneous calendar display, where both the date and day indicators jump instantaneously and s...

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Worn & Wound

Aug 9, 2024

Elevated EDC With CW&T;

CW&T; exists to create the things we want to see in the world. That is the first thing you read when you click “about us” on their website. In 2017, Che-Wei Wang and Taylor Levy founded a design practice in Brooklyn, integrating their backgrounds in architecture, film, and computer science. They were awarded the 2022 National Design Award for Product Design from Cooper Hewitt. In addition to their design work, they teach, contribute to open-source projects, and support independent design practices. Since their establishment, they have set guiding principles to steer them in the right direction. However, these principles are flexible and may change as they progress. STAY SMALL – In today’s world, two people can move mountains. They believe they can go from idea to creation much faster than a boardroom full of gremlins. SHARE EVERYTHING – When you purchase one of their products, you acquire all aspects of its creation process. BUY LOTS OF LOTTERY TICKETS – By this, they mean not to be afraid to take chances. Rely on your education and rely on your supportive family, but sometimes you must go for it. MAKE WHAT YOU WANT – Do not get married to any one process; stay open to new ways; if you want it, make it. THE PROOF IS IN THE PROTOTYPE – They rarely use renderings, as nothing feels and acts like the real thing except for the real thing. MAKE IT GOOD –Do not take shortcuts. Use the appropriate tools and craft it correctly. MAKE IT LAST – They believe their p...

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F Fratello

Fratello

Omega Seamaster Professional 300M Aug 8, 2024

Daniel Craig Spotted With A New Omega Seamaster Professional 300M At The Paris 2024 Olympic Games

All eyes are on Paris this summer as the city hosts the Summer Olympics. But today, it’s not the XXXIII Olympiad that has caught our attention. Instead, it was the watch on the wrist of someone in the crowd minding their own business and enjoying the games. That someone happens to be Daniel Craig, former […] Visit Daniel Craig Spotted With A New Omega Seamaster Professional 300M At The Paris 2024 Olympic Games to read the full article.

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Fratello

Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Perpetual Calendar Aug 5, 2024

Nothing Makes Sense This Monday, And The Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Perpetual Calendar In Pink Gold And Green Is To Blame

Let’s do a little test. I want to know how you react to the following types of watches. Are you ready? Here we go - dive watches with tourbillons and pilot’s watches with perpetual calendars. Do you start to feel a tad uncomfortable? Did your left eye twitch a little? It’s a “yes” for me […] Visit Nothing Makes Sense This Monday, And The Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Perpetual Calendar In Pink Gold And Green Is To Blame to read the full article.

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F Fratello

Fratello

Nivada Grenchen Chronosport Jul 27, 2024

Introducing: The 38mm Nivada Grenchen Chronosport With Either Yellow Or White Lume

Since the brand’s 2018 resurrection, Nivada Grenchen has produced some interesting, tasty, vintage-inspired watches. This month, it’s time for yet another retro timepiece to make you feel warm and nostalgic. The source of inspiration for the latest release never left the prototype phase after Nivada produced an estimated 20 examples in the 1970s. But I’d […] Visit Introducing: The 38mm Nivada Grenchen Chronosport With Either Yellow Or White Lume to read the full article.

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Worn & Wound

Laco Introduces Green Dialed Versions Jul 25, 2024

Laco Introduces Green Dialed Versions of their Classic Flieger

Lacher & Co. (Laco) is widely considered one of the pioneers of the German pilot watch genre. They have been crafting Flieger style timepieces in Pforzheim since 1925 and have truly mastered the art. They are experts at blending almost a century’s worth of expertise with innovative new ideas and technology. Traditional Flieger watches are recognized for their large, high-contrast black dials featuring stark white hands, numerals, and indices. In an effort to add charm and flair to the traditional, Laco is introducing new variations of their classic Augsburg and Aachen watches with fresh green dials. The difference between those two models lies in their dial configurations. The Augsburg follows the typical Type A dial layout, with a standard minute track surrounding the outer edge of the dial, and features beautiful, oversized hands. Alternatively, the Aachen has a Type B dial layout known as B-Uhr, or Beobachtungsuhren, which translates to observation watch. The latter’s perimeter displays the minutes, while a smaller track closer to the center shows the hours. As a result, the hands are quite different. The sword-shaped minute hand has most of its weight in the second half of its length, and the hour hand is shortened so that its tip stays within the inner circle. With their polished steel-framed hands and new green dials, they most certainly feel more contemporary and fashionable. Powering these pilot watches is the Laco 2S, which is based on the Miyota 82S0 caliber....

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F Fratello

Fratello

Roger Dubuis Excalibur Monotourbillon Titanium Please Jul 22, 2024

Hands-On With A Hyper Watch: The Complicated And Minimalistic Roger Dubuis Excalibur Monotourbillon Titanium

Please, come closer. It’s worth it. When you do, you can find that the movement inside the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Monotourbillon Titanium comprises 194 parts and features no fewer than 16 types of manual finishing. This results in a sophisticated and impressive watch that is both complicated and minimalistic; indeed, it is a paradox in […] Visit Hands-On With A Hyper Watch: The Complicated And Minimalistic Roger Dubuis Excalibur Monotourbillon Titanium to read the full article.

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T Time+Tide

Time+Tide

Nivada Grenchen Chronosport turns Jul 13, 2024

The Nivada Grenchen Chronosport turns a prototype into a production must-have

With a Singer Paul Newman-inspired dial and chunky 1970s flavour, the new Nivada Grenchen Chronsport is a reissue of a never-issued watch.The post The Nivada Grenchen Chronosport turns a prototype into a production must-have appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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SJX Watches

Voutilainen Jul 8, 2024

Insight: Urban Jürgensen and the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters

An academic, horologist, and innovator, Urban Jürgensen is today best known for giving his name for the watch brand that’s now run by independent watchmaker Kari Voutilainen and his daughter, Venla. But Jürgensen was the most important watchmaker in Denmark in the early 19th century. He also developed a longstanding relationship with the most important Danish scientific society of the last three centuries, the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters (RDASL). This  article explores the relationship that shaped his work on clocks and watches. A need for precision Being a horologist in Denmark at the turn of the 19th century was not necessarily a very noble job. A handful were highly regarded workmen, but none were on par with scientists on the social ladder. Astronomers were buying English precision clocks for observatories and sailors still navigated by the movement of celestial bodies[1]. But times were changing, chronometers were already known to the king and government of Denmark, and the benefit of precision timekeepers for various types of expeditions was already becoming known around Europe. Mudge & Dutton astronomical regulator clock. Previously in the Observatory of Copenhagen, now located in the offices of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters. Image – The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters/A.B.L. As international conflicts were at the time were a limiting factor in importing chronometers from foreign countries, attempts were made...

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T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Zenith Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar Jul 4, 2024

Zenith Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar Review

Good things tend to come in threes. Turning a triple play in baseball, hitting a trifecta in horse racing, three of a kind in poker - all of these are cause for celebration for those who achieve them. Nailing a clutch three-pointer in basketball can send a home crowd into euphoria, and “third time’s the charm” is the motivating mantra for every budding success story battling obstacles and doubts. In horological terms, one of the most desirable trilogies can be found in the so-called “Triple Calendar,” a style of timepiece that occupies the sweet spot between the simplest of calendar complications - your date and day-date functions - and the higher and accordingly pricier echelons represented by annual and perpetual calendars.  The Triple (also known as the “Complete”) is the simplest type of full-calendar function in that it displays all the information a wearer could need to determine the exact date - month of the year, day of the week, and date of the month- but also requires adjustment at the end of any month shorter than 31 days. (An annual calendar will make this adjustment for you in every month except February, while a perpetual calendar will adjust for every month all the way up until the year 2100 - always assuming, of course, that you, or whomever you pass the watch on to, keeps it wound all those years.) As I also point out in my guide to watch complications, these calendar indications are often, but not always, accompanied by a moon-p...

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T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jul 2, 2024

IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40 Review

IWC released a new generation of its Ingenieur collection in 2023, at what many would consider the tail end of the integrated-luxury-sport-watch craze that gripped the industry heading into 2020. At the time, it was tempting to say that IWC was a bit late to the punch here, especially considering the Schaffhausen-based brand's enviable position of having an original Gérald Genta design from the ‘70s to utilize. In hindsight, however, it seems that IWC was playing the long game, and wasn’t interested in rushing out a throwback type of release. Instead, IWC took a bit more time and released a modern rendition of the original Genta design, released in 1976, as a foundation for years to come. The result is the Reference 3289 Ingenieur, and it’s a watch that looks to do more than merely capitalize on a passing trend.  There are two watches with which you likely associate the name Gérald Genta, and those are the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, and the Patek Philippe Nautilus. Genta penned both of these now iconic designs, in 1972 and 1976 respectively, and they have served as cornerstones in creating the premium sport-watch genre as a whole, as well as helped to spawn the subset of integrated-bracelet designs within it. But those are far from the only watches that can be attributed to Genta, and in fact, aren’t even the only integrated-bracelet sport-watch designs to come out of that era. In 1976, he also designed a new Ingenieur for IWC, known as the SL Ref. 1832 (tha...

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W Worn & Wound

Worn & Wound

Longines Introduces Jun 28, 2024

Longines Introduces a New Titanium Version of the Pilot Majetek

Last year’s Pilot Majetek was one of the strangest releases of the year. Longines has long been incredibly skilled at raiding their own archives – they are perhaps better at this than any other brand – so when they come up with a new vintage reissue, everyone takes notice. The Majetek felt like Longines flexing a little, going a century into the back catalog to show contemporary collectors a vision of the pilot’s watch from a much earlier time. It’s something that only Longines could, at least in a way that feels credible. The Majetek was a surprise hit, so Longines is doubling down this year with a new version of the watch, one that might feel a little more modern to some while still retaining all of the most important vintage cues.  The Pilot Majetek Pioneer Edition is a limited edition version of the old-school pilot’s watch in titanium, with a muted matte black dial that matches the tone of the case nicely. Titanium, in theory, should make this case considerably more wearable. It’s 43mm and wears every bit of that measurement, so a significantly lighter case material ought to be a very different wearing experience.  The key features of the watch remain intact. The coin-edge bezel still rotates a small arrow that can be used for rudimentary timing applications. While we think of this type of bezel as being mostly associated with dive watches, the intended functionality here was to time the duration of an entire flight. Longines was an early pioneer of th...

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W Worn & Wound

Worn & Wound

Bell & Ross Expands their BR 03 Jun 27, 2024

Bell & Ross Expands their BR 03 Dive Watch Collection

Bell & Ross has significantly expanded their lineup of BR 03 divers this week, launching a total of five new references in the collection of sports watches inspired by aircraft instrumentation. The BR 03 line has been the subject of many incremental upgrades over the past year, and just as we saw with the pilot’s watches, these divers seem to be operating under the philosophy of “less is more” when it comes to making changes in the lineup.  The BR 03, and Bell & Ross square watches in general, have always been a bit of a cult object, loved all out of proportion by their fans. The divers are a particularly strange subset within the product line. The “pilot” and “diver” aesthetics rarely match up, but there’s something almost logical here about an overbuilt, square watch designed to get wet. Somehow, we can take the instrument cluster aesthetic inspiration out of the equation once we’re told we’re dealing with a dive watch. What we’re left with is my favorite type of Bell & Ross: something that’s just simply and deeply strange, a watch that feels like it shouldn’t exist but has an obvious appeal anyway.  The 42mm divers introduced this week come in five variants, which, as you’d expect, progress from fairly banal to positively strange. There are three steel references with white, blue, and black dials. These, as you can probably surmise, are the more straightforward watches in the collection. They have the same general appearance of an aviation ...

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Worn & Wound

Jun 19, 2024

How An Altimeter Works And Why We Think They’re Cool

An altimeter is a device used to measure the altitude of an object or a person above a particular fixed level, usually sea level. There are various types of altimeters, including pressure, sonic, radar, laser, and GPS. In this instance, we will be focusing on the kind that uses atmospheric pressure to make measurements, as these are commonly found in aircraft and used by skydivers, hikers, and mountain climbers. The technology is relatively straightforward: the higher the altitude, the lower the atmospheric pressure. An altimeter is a device used to measure the altitude of an object or a person above a particular fixed level, usually sea level. There are various types of altimeters, including pressure, sonic, radar, laser, and GPS. In this instance, we will be focusing on the kind that uses atmospheric pressure to make measurements, as these are commonly found in aircraft and used by skydivers, hikers, and mountain climbers. The technology is relatively straightforward: the higher the altitude, the lower the atmospheric pressure. The post How An Altimeter Works And Why We Think They’re Cool appeared first on Worn & Wound.

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Fratello

Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph Jun 14, 2024

Introducing: The Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph In Lamborghini Squadra Corse Green

There’s a new “hyperwatch” on the starting grid. It’s the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph in Verde Mantis. This energetic green hue also dominates the livery of the SC63, the first Lamborghini hybrid racing car prototype that will race in the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend. The car also competes in […] Visit Introducing: The Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph In Lamborghini Squadra Corse Green to read the full article.

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W Worn & Wound

Worn & Wound

Schofield Jun 11, 2024

Schofield Watch Company Unveils the Obscura

Giles Ellis of U.K. based Schofield Watch Company had been working on what they are calling Obscura for 7 years. Just like some science fiction movies live in their creator’s imagination, until one day, the technology to bring them to life comes into existence. This new watch could only ever be made now, with the team and the combined experience they have accumulated over the past 15 years. As its name implies, it is obscure, subtly so and it is much more than the sum of its parts. The details reveal its full story. Shall we address the elephant in the room? The case is made of Damascus steel, and if you have watched enough Forged in Fire, you might have a rudimentary understanding of how this steel is formed. However, this is not your typical Damascus, as instead of ubiquitous waves of contrasting steels, the pattern resembles cellular scales. Schofield’s metalworking partner, Vegas Forge, achieves this by using enormous Nazel Hammers to smash the different steels together. The familiar Schofield case is then fully machined and finished in Sussex by acid etching the surface to bring out the texture. The case back features three smoked out sapphire display portholes that slightly magnify the elements of the manually wound Unitas 6498-2 movement that lies beneath. There appear to be some type of hieroglyphs on one side and circles that display semaphore flag positions on the other. A few of the latter appear to look like Pacman. Intended or not, obscure they sure are. ...

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T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Citizen Dive Watches Guide Citizen Jun 11, 2024

Citizen Dive Watches Guide

Citizen Watch Co. of Japan has been making watches for 100 years, and a glance at the brand’s current portfolio reveals that quite a few of those watches are dive watches. It’s not surprising, since Citizen has been in the business of supplying watches for divers since the early 1980s, and has been extending the variety of styles, functionalities, and even movement types available in the various collections ever since. So how do you decide on whether you want your first (or next) Citizen dive watch to be an Eco-Drive or an automatic? An everyday-wear Fugu, a multipurpose Aqualand, or a deep-diving Eco-Zilla? Our comprehensive guide is here to help you, with a brief history of Citizen dive watches and a rundown of all the styles available today. Swiss watchmakers began embracing purpose-built, water-resistant divers’ watches in the early 1950s, while their contemporaries in Japan came aboard a decade or so later. As many history-minded watch enthusiasts are aware, it was Citizen’s competitor, Seiko, that released the first Japanese-made divers’ watch, in 1965. However, Citizen’s Parawater, regarded as the first “water-resistant” Japanese watch, preceded it to market six years earlier, in 1959. The Parawater watches (as above) were waterproof to 50 meters of depth, an impressive feat for the era, and they were the forerunners of Citizen’s contemporary line of dive watches, which began in the 1960s but really kicked into gear with the release of the Promast...

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Worn & Wound

Wren May 31, 2024

Introducing the Wren Diver One, the First Watch From Wrist Enthusiast

Designing and creating your own watch is a dream for many collectors and enthusiasts. Think about the questions and topics of conversation that pop up at watch meetups over and over again and how often they trace back to this idea of what you would do if you could make a watch. Little changes to handsets, the perfect case size, and favorite dial colors are all potentially on the table if you’re making your own watch. So it’s fun to observe the results when a friend and colleague in the watch community actually follows through and makes their own watch, which is what we’re able to do with the Wren Diver One, the first watch made under the Wrist Enthusiast banner.  Wrist Enthusiast was founded by Craig Karger in 2015 as an Instagram account, but has expanded in a major way just in the last few years, adding a blog, a YouTube channel, and a podcast. Over time, the Wrist Enthusiast Instagram account has developed a massive following of roughly 500,000 followers, and they touch on every major corner of the watch world, including covering new releases from both large and small brands. The new watch, according to Craig, comes from a desire to create something that he and his team would want to wear everyday, applying their combined knowledge and interests into a single piece.  The Wren (for WRist ENthusiast, if you didn’t catch it) Diver One has the broad outlines of a classic dive watch, which I think is to be expected given that this type of watch, specifically, has b...

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T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Glashütte Original Spezialist SeaQ Chronograph Review May 30, 2024

Glashütte Original Spezialist SeaQ Chronograph Review

While it was established relatively recently, in 1994, Glashütte Original can legitimately trace its lineage as far back as 1845, which also happens to be the year that watchmaking essentially arrived as an industry in Germany. As I cover in much greater detail in this article, a full century of horological tradition, centered in the town of Glashütte in the state of Saxony, came to an end with Germany’s defeat in World War II. It was replaced by a new era in which a state-owned conglomerate of once-independent heritage watch manufacturers, the Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe or GUB, shifted focus from artisanal techniques and luxuriously decorative timepieces to mass-produced tool watches for military and civilian customers. Many of the watches produced in the GUB era - spanning the Cold War years from 1951 up to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990 - are largely forgettable, but Glashütte Original, the luxury-watch firm that emerged from the dissolution of the GUB, has cherry-picked the most interesting and memorable of those utilitarian timepieces, produced in the late 1960s and ‘70s, for modern reimagining in its “Spezialist” series. Serving as the base model for the Spezialist models is a single, now-collectible divers’ sport watch from 1969, the Spezimatic Type RP TS 200, which was the first dive watch produced in Germany (technically, at the time, East Germany) that met the international ISO 6425 standard. Glashütte Original paid tribute to the fondly rem...

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S SJX Watches

SJX Watches

Richard Mille Unveils May 30, 2024

Richard Mille Unveils the RM 27-05 Rafael Nadal

Described by the brand as the “climactic conclusion” of the line of ultra-light watches made for the tennis champion, the RM 27-05 Flying Tourbillon Rafael Nadal weighs just 11.5 g without its strap – or about two sheets of A4 printer paper. Like many of Richard Mille’s watches, the RM 27-05 is cased in carbon composite, specifically Carbon TPT B.4. More compact than the brand’s typical watches, the tonneau-shaped case is a compact 37.25mm by 7.2 mm. And according to Richard Mille, it is shock resistant to about 14,000 g. Initial thoughts Richard Mille was the first to make ultra-light a thing in watches with the RM009 ALUSiC that was introduced almost 20 years ago. The brand took the concept to the extreme with the RM 27 that debuted in 2010. Weighing just 13 g without the strap, it was conceived for Rafael Nadal to wear while playing tennis. The watches have gotten even lighter since then, and the RM 27-05 is the final chapter in the series. Weighing essentially nothing at 11.5 g without the strap, it is as lightweight as it gets for a mechanical watch of this type. Besides being the most extreme example of Richard Mille’s ultra-light philosophy, the RM 27-05 is also quintessential Richard Mille in terms of style. The notched outline and vents on the case, and the hyper-mechanical appearance of the skeleton movement, are very much typical of the brand’s current design ethos. In short the watch is very much Richard Mille. That also holds true for the price, ...

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SJX Watches

Ulysse Nardin May 29, 2024

Louis Erard Unveils Affordable “Grand Feu” Enamel Regulator

Though Louis Erard is best known for its high-profile collaborations with independent watchmakers like Konstantin Chaykin and Cédric Johner, the brand’s specialty is making interesting watchmaking accessible. Its signature complication is the regulator display complication, which has served as the foundation for several limited editions. The brand continues to do that with the Le Régulateur Grand Feu Enamel, a regulator wristwatch featuring a two-part fired enamel dial in striking ivory. Initial thoughts The new release has a subtle ivory dial produced in a traditional manner, resulting in a glossy, nuanced finish feel evocative of dials usually found on pricier timepieces. Its contemporary typeface and numerals complements minimalist style. Dial aside, the latest regulator is identical to the standard model and contains the same Sellita calibre. As a result, despite the elegant styling, it’s a chunky watch that’s almost 14 mm thick. Nevertheless, this keeps the Le Régulateur Grand Feu Enamel affordable at CHF4,400, which is strong value considering that most watches with such dials cost at least twice as much. Ivory enamel Louis Erard once again turned to Donzé Cadrans, the enamel dial specialist owned by Ulysse Nardin, for this grand feu enamel dial. Unsurprisingly Donzé was also the supplier for the ivory enamel dial in Excellence Email Grand Feu in 2021.  The time-only Excellence Email Grand Feu The production of grand feu enamel dials has a high rejection...

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M Monochrome

Monochrome

May 28, 2024

Introducing - The New Hanhart 417 ES Tornado Maiden Flight Flyback

2024 marks a significant milestone for the Tornado multirole combat aircraft: 50 years ago, on August 14, 1974, the first Tornado prototype took off from Manching, Germany. This event launched what would become Europe’s most extensive military aircraft collaboration program, resulting in nearly 1,000 Tornados delivered to the air forces of Germany, Italy, the United […]

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W Worn & Wound

Worn & Wound

Ming Gets Back May 23, 2024

Ming Gets Back in the Water with the 37.09 Bluefin

It’s been a few years since Ming released the massively popular 18.01 H41 dive watch, and fans of the brand have been clamoring for more ever since. It would have been easy enough for Ming to re-release the 18.01, maybe with a new colorway, but the brand is not one to rest on their past successes and the Ming 37.09 Bluefin is far more than a slight update to a familiar model. Instead, Ming has completely re-thought what a dive watch from Ming can be, and the results are absolutely stunning - and quintessentially Ming. If you follow Ming on social media, the release of the 37.09 Bluefin today shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. After all, the brand has been posting throwbacks and teasers left and right to get us all excited about this release. Today, we get to see the new watch: A 600 meter water-resistant, dual crown diver inspired by the architecture of Ming’s recent 37-series watches, complete with Ming’s signature flared lugs and a preposterous preponderance of lume. Whether putting out affordable time-only watches or ultra-light record-setters and wild tourbillons, Ming has been unafraid and uncompromising. This details-first approach might help to explain why it took so long for Ming to follow up on the 18.01. Apparently, Ming experimented with several successors to their first dive watch, focusing on outperforming the 1000 meter water-resistant dive watch on a technical level.  Eventually, after producing several prototypes at thicknesses creeping up to ...

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S SJX Watches

SJX Watches

Tudor Monte Carlo But May 23, 2024

Oak & Oscar Introduces the Atwood Hand-Wind Chronograph

Oak & Oscar has just launched its second chronograph, the Atwood, a modern take on vintage racing chronographs that’s powered by a manually wound Sellita AMT5100M. The movement is a derivative of the Valjoux 7750 that has a few tricks up its sleeve, namely a column wheel and flyback functionality. Chicago-based Oak & Oscar was founded in 2015, making it part of the early wave of ‘micro brands.’ Over the past nine years, the brand has managed to develop its own recognisable minimalist aesthetic across a range of versatile go-anywhere, do-anything sports watches. Initial Thoughts I tend to be fond of Oak & Oscar’s designs, and a lot of that has to do with the expert use of colour. The Atwood is offered in three colourways that are each appealing in their own right, and will feel familiar to fans of the brand. The brand’s signature orange seconds hand is complemented by matching accents on the sub-dials, a stylistic choice that evokes sporty ’70s chronographs like the Tudor Monte Carlo. But the design still manages to feel fresh, thanks in part to the brand’s own strikingly modern typeface. The Atwood is the brand’s second chronograph, after the Jackson which debuted in 2017. The Atwood addresses one of the few shortcomings of the Jackson, which is the latter’s 14.5 mm case thickness. The 39 mm Atwood is comparatively slim at just 12.9 mm, a figure that includes the domed sapphire crystal, meaning that visually it will appear even thinner. While the dimensio...

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W Worn & Wound

Worn & Wound

Zodiac Partners May 16, 2024

Zodiac Partners with RedBar for a New, Glowing Limited Edition

The latest limited edition from RedBar, the global network of watch meetup groups, is a nearly radioactive release made in partnership with Zodiac. It’s a subtle nod to a piece of Zodiac history that is not particularly well known while simultaneously paying proper respect to RedBar itself, all in the familiar trappings of a Super Sea Wolf diver. And, yes, the whole thing glows, and quite impressively.  Officially unveiled last night at a release party in New York, the Zodiac x RedBar Super Sea Wolf Pro Diver takes the brand’s most professional, 300 meter water resistant and ISO certified diver and effectively turns it into the type of brightly glowing orb many of us would have been obsessed with as children and still get pretty excited about today. Lume dials, when done well, have a pretty fun charm to them. There’s just something about seeing a larger than normal concentration of this stuff activated in a dark room. And the lume on this new collaboration is truly impressive, and that’s coming from someone who is on the record as not being a hardcore lume guy (I don’t even travel with a little UV light).  Like any good execution of a full lume dial, we have multiple colors of lume at work for contrast in both well lit situations and total darkness. The dial itself appears as a pale shade of green in the light, and glows an electric blue/green when charged. The hour markers, hands, and bezel hash marks are white in the daylight, and glow bright green. Important...

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