3,522 articles · 220 videos found · page 44 of 125
Monochrome
It’s fair to say that genuine horological novelties, in the form of complications and new collections, have given way to a more trend-oriented approach in the watch industry. Riding the wave, many brands revisit popular collections in more compact case dimensions and different materials, treating the dials to seasonal colours. Rado’s Captain Cook, the brand’s […]
Fratello
On July 21st, 1969, the Apollo 11 crew turned the Omega Speedmaster Professional chronograph into the Moonwatch. It may have actually been one of the first nicknames that a wristwatch ever received. As a watch enthusiast, you’ve probably heard the story of the Moonwatch a thousand times already. However, in case you’re new to watches (or […] Visit From The Archives: How The Omega Speedmaster Became The Moonwatch to read the full article.
SJX Watches
The polarising Cubitus collection is not yet a year old, but Patek Philippe’s newest line of elegant sports watches has expanded in a big way with the Cubitus ref. 7128/1G-001 in a new ‘medium’ 40 mm size that transforms the wearing experience for the better. With summer now in full swing, it’s worth looking at this new Cubitus and considering what it means for the future of the collection. Featuring a silky 18k white gold case and bracelet, the smaller Cubitus practically drapes itself on the wrist, and is probably the most compelling launch yet from the new collection. Also available in rose gold (ref. 7128/1R-001), the new “medium” Cubitus is a luxury sports watch in the true sense of the term, combining everyday comfort and wearability with premium materials and high-quality finishing inside and out. For better or worse, the Cubitus retains several signature elements of the Nautilus such as the embossed sunburst blue dial and lozenge-shaped hands. Initial thoughts When the Cubitus launched last year, it was decried by many spectators as an unworthy successor to the sought-after Nautilus. I freely admit I never had a strong affinity for the Nautilus, which might explain my open mind toward the Cubitus, but I really like the faceted eight-sided crystal and find the overall design about as compelling as that of its esteemed predecessor. That said, I do wish the Cubitus had more of a distinct identity of its own. In the case of the current ref. 7128/1G-001 in 1...
SJX Watches
Grand Seiko returns to its Sport Collection with an even bolder and edgier take on its flagship chronograph with the Tokyo Lion Tentagraph SLGC009. Combining an oversized case Brilliant Hard Titanium and a high-spec, high-beat chronograph movement, the striking new is Tentagraph is surprisingly not an all-new design but an iterative evolution that builds on the existing Sport Collection case. Initial Thoughts While a strength of Seiko itself, chronometry-focused Grand Seiko has historically struggled with sports watches, though not for lack of trying. In 2019 Grand Seiko launched the angular and aggressive Sport case featuring a facetted, polygonal form with a sapphire-covered bezel to celebrate 20 years of Spring Drive. Grand Seiko intended the design to evoke the mane of the brand’s lion mascot. In 2023 came the regular production Tokyo Lion series, and the brand also extended the design language into its jewelled Masterpiece watches. The “lion’s mane” case design reminds me of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept, and with the addition of an octagonal bezel the resemblance has only grown, though I wouldn’t say it is derivative – if anything the Grand Seiko case is a more boisterous take on the 45GS design from the late 1960s. The earlier Spring Drive GMT Chronograph SBGC275 with a less stylised case design I quite liked the Sport case when it was launched in 2019, especially the rose gold SBGC230, but it felt unfinished with a round bezel and buttons. With...
Fratello
In case you haven’t noticed, the first half of the year is already behind us. What better time to look back at some of the best watches of 2025 so far? That’s precisely what RJ, Daan, and Nacho are doing on today’s episode of Fratello Talks. The past six months have hosted hundreds of watch […] Visit Fratello Talks: The Best Watches Of 2025 So Far to read the full article.
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SJX Watches
Franck Muller returns with cheeky rabbits in an Asia-Pacific limited edition reprising its earlier collaboration with Japanese streetwear brand #FR2, which is also known as Fxxking Rabbits. Following the first edition in black and white that was launched two years ago, the #Fr2nck Muller Vanguard Beach features a glass fibre composite case in three bright, marbled colours, along with a dial featuring a relief of the titular rabbits. Initial thoughts Like the first edition, the Vanguard Beach is bold, rude, and fun. The twin rabbit logo is small so it’s only visible at arm’s length, but the brightly coloured case still makes this hard to miss. The watch doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is a good fit for Franck Muller’s brand ethos. But this fun comes at a price of about US$14,000. It’s about 30% more expensive than the first edition, which is passable in today’s market where everything feels like it has gotten pricey quickly. Rabbits on holiday Each variant of the Vanguard Beach depicts rabbits having fun at the beach. One notable detail is the unusually positioned date window at two o’clock that has a gilded round frame that is meant to represent the Sun. Rabbits aside, the notable aspect of the #FR2 edition is the glass fibre composite case in the lug-less Vanguard format. Though it’s not a new material, glass fibre composite is relatively novel in watchmaking, where carbon fibre composite is most common. Glass fibre composite is similar to its car...
Monochrome
Revelot is a young Malaysian microbrand that launched with a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2021 and has since built a sizable portfolio of stylish and accessible watches, including innovative designs like the LIMA Flieger, featuring a Damascus steel case. The latest Hexmariner 39 Durian Limited Edition dive watch takes a fun approach to design, honouring […]
Fratello
Today’s new Ming 37.02 Monolith is the latest variant using the brand’s popular case design. While the case coating is the big news here, it’s worth a closer look. After all, small changes sometimes lead to significant results. The 37-series of watches from Ming has stood as the more affordable range since 2021. During these […] Visit Back In Black: Ming Introduces The 37.02 Monolith to read the full article.
Fratello
With Doxa being a relatively small brand, it’s not every day that we get word of a new model. Yet, here we are, and while we’ll see that the new Sub 750T Clive Cussler is a limited edition, we’re hoping the new case foreshadows a serial-production launch. But let’s focus on the release at hand. […] Visit Hands-On With The New Doxa Sub 750T Clive Cussler to read the full article.
Quill & Pad
The Patek Philippe 5002 Sky Moon Tourbillon launched in platinum for the 2001 model year, the 12-complication featured two dials. Dial one was devoted to a moonphase indicator and a perpetual calendar with retrograde date display. On the sub-dial display for months, simple text promised a tourbillon regulator within the case.
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SJX Watches
Having first introduced its Beta 21-inspired wristwatch over a decade ago, Piaget rebooted the concept this year by renaming it the Piaget Andy Warhol thanks to a freshly inked agreement with the American artist’s foundation. The watch retains the same oversized style format defined by a many stepped bezel and clean dial, but now adds the option of customisation in both dial and case materials. Though pricey for a time only watch, the Andy Warhol is arguably Piaget’s best formal dress watch for men. It’s just as elegant as the brand’s round watches, but substantially more distinctive. And the Andy Warhol nickname makes it more memorable than it was before. Initial thoughts Piaget’s most significant recent watch in technical terms is unquestionable the Altiplano Ultimate Concept, but ironically it is somewhat too thin to be elegant. The wafer-slim case feels a little strange on the wrist. The Andy Warhol, on the other hand, is large, but elegant and especially glamorous in certain variations like the malachite dial. In fact, the case is oversized – the case is 45 mm wide – but very thin around 8 mm, giving it a sleek profile but large presence on the wrist. And up close the multiple steps on the bezel give the design surprising flair given its overall simplicity. The large cushion form easily passes for a 1970s watch, but this is not an exact remake. Instead it is loosely based on the Piaget Beta 21, a pioneering quartz wristwatch, a specimen of which was owne...
Fratello
I have been on the hunt for a decent zip-up leather watch case for what feels like forever. It couldn’t be just any case, though. I wanted something that didn’t out itself as a budget-friendly compromise but also didn’t cost as much as a watch itself. It had to be practical, hold a decent number […] Visit Taking A Look At Bravo Watchware’s Original Gradient Watch Box to read the full article.
Hodinkee
Three circles inside a nearly transparent case is all it took to make the brand's first new collection and slimmest, smallest, and most wearable watch ever.
Fratello
Size matters. That’s certainly the case for the Rolex Oyster Perpetual that comes in no fewer than five sizes - 28, 31, 34, 36, and 41mm. This year, The Crown introduced three soft and shimmering pastel colors - lavender, beige, and pistachio. In addition, there’s a new glossy black lacquered dial and a “med blue” […] Visit The Agony Of Choice: Deciding Between The Rolex Oyster Perpetual 36 And 41 to read the full article.
Fratello
CIGA Design continues to develop its GPHG-award-winning formula, first showcased on the Blue Planet. A customized movement utilizing an in-house complication displays the time in a manner distinct from a typical watch. The perfectly round, interstellar-like case often houses a dial featuring our planet. Today, that changes with the new CIGA Design × Label Noir […] Visit Introducing: The CIGA Design × Label Noir Black Star to read the full article.
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SJX Watches
Sportier and a little more affordable than its more elegant cousin, Parmigiani’s Tonda PF Sport was originally available only in steel. The Tonda PF Sport Chronograph Ultra-Cermet swaps out that conventional alloy for a case of cermet, a composite of ceramic and metal. Notably, the entire case – bezel, case middle, pushers, and crown – is in cermet. Initial thoughts Parmigiani has iterated its popular sports into many variations, perhaps too many, but the Tonda PF Sport in cermet is one of the most interesting so far. While the material is not new to watches, it is usually employed for one or two components, typically the bezel. The new Tonda PF Sport Chronograph is almost all cermet, which is gives it an appealing a single-tone appearance that goes well with the clean styling. The new chronograph is available in Milano Blue (left), and London Grey Material aside, it is essentially identical to earlier versions of the Tonda Sport PF Chronograph. Though it is little changed in fundamental terms, that’s not necessarily a bad thing as the PF070 movement inside ranks amongst one of the most sophisticated chronograph calibres, especially in sports watches. The only downside of the new material is the price hike. The cermet model is basically a 50% premium over the steel version, which the brand will not doubt justify in terms of machining and polishing complexity, but it is still difficult to rationalise. The PF070 Ceramic and metal Cermet is a composite of ceramic and...
Worn & Wound
Zenith has once again partnered with the Australian watch media website Time+Tide on a limited edition Defy. The third watch in the trilogy, which follows the Defy Classic Skeleton Night Surfer from 2021 and the Defy Skyline Skeleton Night Surfer El Primero in 2023 completes the concept of the “Surfer Trilogy” with a bold white ceramic case that incorporates design details from each of the previous watches. It’s definitely an aesthetic change of pace, but taken together, all three watches make a lot of sense as a trio. Prior “Surfer” limited editions have sold out quickly, so if you were after one and missed out, you now have another (final?) chance to snag one. Each of the previous limited edition Defys in the “Surfer” series have been in micro-blasted titanium cases, making the white ceramic here a stark contrast. Ceramic, though, is arguably the material most associated with the contemporary Defy, whether in the now discontinued Classic line or the new Skyline series. Zenith is one of a small handful of brands that has reached true expert status with this material. Like other Skylines, the case measures 41mm in diameter and is 100 meters water resistant with a screw down crown. We’ve seen a white ceramic Skyline before, but this new Time+Tide LE, even with a case that has so much presence, is really defined by the dial. That blue gradient dial is the design element that is carried over from prior “Surfer” watches and provides some coherence to th...
Monochrome
Hublot… A brand that brings heated conversations and opinions. Hublot is surely known for its bold moves, disruptive materials and colours you can spot across the room. Baby blue sapphire case, snake pattern on the bezel, multicoloured ceramic that looks… questionable. You name it. Yet, Hublot also knows how to use its signature Classic Fusion […]
Fratello
Sometimes, a watch that needs some time to sink in lands on my desk. When I first laid my eyes on the Makina Azazel_I, I knew it was one of those. You can immediately see that it’s a futuristic watch created with an unapologetic concept at its core. The design combines a remarkable case and […] Visit Hands-On With The Futurustic-Looking Makina Azazel_I to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
The Seiko Prospex Speedtimer is one of those watches that is just incredibly easy to recommend. It runs on a solar powered quartz movement, which makes it ultra practical and reliable. It’s styled to look a little like classic vintage chronographs that we love, but isn’t an on-the-nose recreation of any in particular. And they come in an easy to wear 39mm case, a fairly neutral size for just about any wrist. They’re also relatively affordable, coming in well under $1,000. Seiko has released several of these “SSC” Speedtimers in recent years in a variety of colorways. The latest is a limited edition for the World Athletics Championships, which this year returns to Tokyo for the first time in 34 years. Seiko has been the official timekeeper of the World Athletics organization since 1987 and has made a number of watches to commemorate the partnership in that time. This Speedtimer would seem to capitalize on a fairly persistent trend in the watch world: the purple dial. According to Seiko, the tone of this dial in particular is inspired by “Edo purple”, a shade long associated with the city of Tokyo. This color has also been designated as the official color of this year’s World Athletics Championships event. The purple base is accented with black chronograph subdials and a black tachymeter bezel, along with applied faceted hour markers and lume filled hands that have been outlined in black for increased legibility. The black and purple combination works w...
Video
A defence of the Code 11.59, the AP collection most collectors love to dismiss, with a close look at the case architecture and movements.
Hodinkee
A hand-guilloché illustration of one of the zodiac signs, sapphires on the case, and one of Vacheron's best movements for a 12 piece limited series.
SJX Watches
The signature complication of Louis Vuitton’s watchmaking, the Spin Time is a jump hours with a twist that is now 16 years now. Earlier this year, the complication was given a major technical and aesthetic update with an all-new collection, the Tambour Taiko Spin Time, featuring a new case and a new movement family – both developed and produced in-house. The flagship model is the Tambour Taiko Spin Time Flying Tourbillon that combines the jumping hours with a central flying tourbillon – a logical use of the peripheral arrangement of the time display. Though the most complicated (and expensive) of the line, the Flying Tourbillon has all of the key elements of the Tambour Taiko, including the redesigned case and a new movement made by La Fabrique du Temps (LFT), Louis Vuitton’s Geneva watch manufacture. Initial thoughts Whether or not you like the watches themselves, the Tambour Taiko Spin Time collection is a statement of intent by Louis Vuitton. The brand has made substantial investment in vertical integration and manufacturing, essentially watchmaking, and the Tambour Taiko line-up is proof of that. More specifically, the family of movements that underpins the Tambour Taiko illustrates the industrial-haute horlogerie capability that Louis Vuitton has developed in a relatively short period of time, the very sort of competence required to build a high-end watch brand at scale. The movements in the Tambour Taiko collection now number three, but are all part of the s...
SJX Watches
Continuing with its 250th anniversary special editions in fine style, not long after the Temporis Grand Complication, Vacheron Constantin’s latest is the 12-piece-strong Métiers d’Art “Tribute to The Celestial”. Each watch is dedicated to symbol of the zodiac, with the respective constellation rendered in hand guilloché on the dial, while the case is set with baguette-cut sapphires totalling almost 4 ct. Fortunately available individually instead of only as a set, each “Tribute to The Celestial” watch is powered by the cal. 2160, an automatic movement with a tourbillon and novel peripheral winding mechanism. Initial thoughts Vacheron Constantin (VC) has long combined complications and gemstones, though in a relatively low-key manner since such watches were rarely announced publicly. The series of Overseas Perpetual Calendars set with coloured stones, for example, was never widely publicised. The “Tribute to The Celestial” demonstrates what VC can do with its in-house guilloche workshop and gem setting (which is probably not done in house). The watches are striking and beautiful, though certainly only for fans of blue, and only blue. Despite the gemstones and guilloche, the watches look surprisingly modern, likely due to the colour as well as the geometric nature of the engine turning. Though the guilloche is done the old school way on a hand-operated machine, the engraved zodiac symbols look nothing like traditional guilloche. Not all the zodiac emblems a...
Worn & Wound
American watchmaking is having a moment. And if there’s any day that’s worth celebrating, it’s the Fourth of July. Happy birthday, America, hope you like Damaskeening! Just in the last month or so, we’ve seen a new release from J.N. Shapiro that could point to an entirely new and more accessible concept for the brand. Cornell Watch Co. revealed their new Lozier, with a case, dial, crown, and handset machined in the United States. Colorado Watch Company, the Fort Collins, CO based brand making cases and dials in-house with movements assembled in the United States, just shipped their first batches of new watches to customers after extensive prototyping. And Keaton Myrick, who makes watches completely by hand in vanishingly small runs in Oregon and somehow has flown under the worldwide watch community’s radar for years, just saw a fantastic result in a public sale via Phillips that went for just over the high estimate. And it’s not just that there’s a lot of activity. The watches mentioned above are all, actually, very very good, and show that American watchmakers and brands can succeed in multiple ways, using different models. Myrick and Shapiro operate at the very highest end of the spectrum, while Colorado Watch Company has the ethos of a microbrand (the project was funded via Kickstarter, just like their sister brand, Vortic). The Cornell model, though, is probably the most interesting to me. The majority of the watch is manufactured in the United States, bu...
Deployant
Greubel Forsey's very successful Balancier has come to its final run, now executed in a stainless steel case, with a gorgeous blue dial.
Video
Skipping the airport queues, the journey becomes part of the story as they drive across Europe, passing through Bruges, Antwerp, Luxembourg, and Dijon. From scenic city stops to life on the road, this is more than jus...
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