32,742 articles · 145 videos found · page 445 of 1097
Fratello
Another Friday, another list. This week, we shift the focus from regatta timers to pilot’s watches. To be more specific, we are looking for five alternatives to the classic IWC Big Pilot’s Watch. Do you remember when IWC’s famous oversized aviation classic was all the rage? In the early 2000s, during the era of big […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Alternatives To The IWC Big Pilot’s Watch to read the full article.
Quill & Pad
Put two authentic, luxury timepieces on a table, and you won’t kill a conversation. There may, however, be a second or so of awkward silence, as the recipient takes in what the hand has achieved.
Monochrome
In the past few years, Union Glashütte, the sister brand of the more high-end Glashütte Original manufacture, has strongly focused on connecting its watches with car-related events and car-inspired designs. Take, for example, the Limited Edition Sachsen Classic 2025, the Noramis Date Deutschland Classic 2025 with an MB wheel-inspired design, or the BBS-styled Noramis Date […]
Monochrome
Geneva-based luxury goods group Richemont reported a 11% increase in sales at constant exchange rates (+5% at actual rates) for its 2025/26 year, closing at the end of March, at EUR 22,4 billion. At EUR 3.5 billion, the profit for the year’s continuing operation is up 27%. The trend for the fourth quarter remained positive with sales […]
SJX Watches
The pocket watch format is experiencing an unexpected renaissance. From auction salerooms to high street queues, collectors of all stripes are talking about pocket watches more than at any time in recent memory. That makes it a perfect time to continue our series on groundbreaking historical pocket watches, including Breguet No. 160. This installment analyses the Leroy 01, which reigned as world’s most complicated watch — by most measures — for 85 years. The calm before the storm On the first of November 1897, Charles Piguet began work on an ébauche for which no contract yet existed. In his workshop at Le Sentier, a stone village strung along the floor of the Vallée de Joux at an altitude where winter arrives early and stays long, he opened a commission that would occupy the better part of seven years and produce the most complicated portable timepiece ever constructed. The formal agreement with his client, the Parisian house of L. Leroy & Cie — formerly known as Le Roy & Fils — would not be signed until January 1898. Piguet started anyway. In the Vallée de Joux, a man’s word was sufficient. This detail — two months of work before the ink dried — says something essential about the relationship between the French brand and the Swiss établisseurs on whom it depended. L. Leroy & Cie, founded in Paris in 1785 by Basile-Charles Leroy, had maintained that relationship across generations. When Louis Leroy, who had acquired the firm in 1889 and established a ma...
WatchAdvice
The short answer: Yes! The Cartier Tank Américaine is a standout watch that looks and feels a lot more versatile than it lets on. Let’s find out why! What We Love: A versatile yet elegant design A sportier remix of a legendary icon Wears comfortably on the leather strap What We Don’t: Readability suffers in the first and third quarters The crown is small and fiddly Where’s the display caseback? Overall Rating: 8.5/10 Value for Money: 8/10 Wearability: 9/10 Design: 9/10 Build Quality: 8/10 I think that, since I began working at WatchAdvice, my opinion on Cartier has changed the least. I’d already heard so much about it from every corner of culture; rap songs and rom-coms sing equal praise of the Parisian powerhouse. So, when this opportunity came along, it simply allowed me to get closer to a brand I had already learned to appreciate. With closeness, though, comes closer scrutiny. Cartier bears the weight of a rich legacy on its shoulders, and even the smallest deviation can have Cartier fans questioning their loyalty. Its model lines, in both jewellery and watchmaking, have become so iconic that remixing them is a massive risk. Getting it wrong, depending on who you ask, is intolerable. These are the stakes Cartier faces with the Tank Américaine. How could they possibly change the formula of such a universally popular watch collection while preserving the original DNA? That’s what I aimed to find out when I took the Tank Américaine for a spin some time ago...
Monochrome
Pilot watches have always occupied a special place in watchmaking and in our hearts. Large crowns, legible dials, chronographs, GMT indications, and slide-rule bezels all emerged from real-life needs. Yet despite many decades of looking up to aviation for clues, very few modern pilot watches can actually assist pilots in flight procedures. Most are stylistic […]
SJX Watches
Watch-spotting accounts on Instagram were rewarded during the Met Gala broadcast with a sneak peak at two new Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC) Reverso models worn by actors Finn Wolfhard and Tyriq Withers. Unveiled officially today, the Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds Or Deco Cocktail brings tasteful gemsetting to the Reverso. Initial thoughts Watch spotting has emerged as a major part of social media culture — a fact that has not escaped brands’ attention. Omega was early to the game, teasing the white-dialled Speedmaster on the wrist of Daniel Craig months before launch, and the brand equipped Delroy Lindo with the new Constellation Observatory at the Academy Awards two weeks before its official unveiling. Finn Wolfhard and Tyriq Withers attend the 2026 Met Gala. Photos by Mike Coppola/Getty Images Now its JLC’s turn — today the brand is launching three gem-set Reversos first seen during the Met Gala earlier this month. Available in 18k white or pink gold, the new editions are elegant on the wrist thanks to their relatively compact footprint — just 45.6 mm tall — and supple gold Milanese bracelets. Each watch is distinguished by bands of baguette-cut stones above and below the dial — replacing the typical Art Deco-style horizontal grooves — but only on the front. Flip the watch over, and it looks like any other Reverso with a solid case back. A cynic might view this as a ploy to keep costs down — to some extent that’s true — but alternatively it gives ...
Worn & Wound
One of my favorite things is when a brand releases a watch that feels like the watch they always should have made. I’m sure we can all point to examples of this – that feeling that a new watch really belongs in the brand’s catalog, and we’re kind of surprised it never existed in the first place. That’s sort of how I think about the latest release from Serica, the Ref. 7505 Field Chronometer. Doesn’t it seem like Serica always had a 35mm field watch in their collection? More than any other watch the brand has released to date, this feels like a distillation of what the brand is really about. You’ll recall that they launched with a collection of military inspired field watches all the way back in 2019, which at the time felt like they were already going a little against the grain at just under 38mm in diameter. In the years since, they’ve iterated on this general idea, with an ongoing series of sporty selections rooted in a kind of imagined vintage world, never borrowing too much from any one classic reference, but pulling from a variety of sources to create something that is uniquely their own. Part of that has always meant keeping the watches fairly compact. Looking over the press materials for this watch and thinking about the direction the brand has gone in, I wonder if, if circumstances had been different, they may have started here, with a 35mm field watch, to begin with. This is unquestionably the right time to introduce a watch like this, at a mom...
Fratello
Time flies, doesn’t it? I first had a chance to try out the Serica 4512 California back in 2021. Since then, we have seen plenty of remarkable releases from the Parisian brand. The steadily growing collection was extended with a diver, a travel GMT, and a dress watch. On top of that, Serica kept us […] Visit The Serica 7505 Series Creatively Revisits The Brand’s Inaugural Field Watch to read the full article.
Hodinkee
What We Know It's time to put aside the debate of big watches versus small watches. I think we can at least agree that options are a good thing, so everyone can get what they want. With that in mind, Serica has released three new, smaller Field Chronometer watches measuring only 35mm by 9.6mm thick with a COSC-certified automatic movement and three new enamel dials. These three new watches, with stainless steel cases, play off the design language of the ref. 6190 with a few tweaks. There's the slightly larger, fixed bezel with pips at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o'clock. They have a double-domed anti-reflective sapphire that should somewhat magnify the smaller dial. The two-tone cream-and-black "Tuxedo" dial is similar to the ref. 6190 TXD, with hand-applied numerals. The other two, the "Minute Critical" dials in black or olive green, aren't that far from the ref. 6190 "Denali" that is already on offer in a larger size, with added 5-minute Arabic numerals. All three have Super-LumiNova C3 lume. Inside the case is the SoProd M100 movement, which is COSC-certified for accuracy, making it a Field Chronometer in both name and function. The caliber runs at 4Hz, is self-winding, and has a 42-hour power reserve. According to Serica, it also has a decorated plate with Côtes de Genève, and while there are no photos of the caseback, I would assume it is still a closed caseback like its big sibling. Then there's the final major update: the watch comes with a redesigned Bonklip bracelet, fea...
Worn & Wound
The 2026 Windup Watch Fair in San Francisco was easily our largest event in California yet! It was punctuated by amazing brands, cool watches, and numerous activities. However, it was the panels that helped maintain that classic Windup vibe and we had four great ones over the course of the event. Precision Meets Passion: Frederique Constant and the Padel Phenomenon Padel is no longer just a trend—it’s a global commercial powerhouse on track to become a $6 billion industry by 2028. Join Kaitlin Derkach (Marketing Director, Frederique Constant) and Diane Gotua (CCO, Pro Padel League) as they discuss the “lifestyle-first” strategy driving padel’s explosive 50% year-over-year growth in the U.S. and why Frederique Constant is betting on this high-energy, enthusiast-friendly sport. EDC Expo Panel: Building a Quiver vs. Collection Many collectors don’t think in rigid frameworks—they follow curiosity and passion wherever it leads. Others work within self-imposed rules around style, function, or brand. This panel brings together Jim Wirth (Founder/CEO at GiantMouse Knives), Christian Freissler (Co-Founder at Evolve Agency and Creative Director at Shinzo Tamura), and Harrison McCrindle (Head of Government Operations at Marathon Watch Company) for a candid conversation about the art, science, and emotion of collecting across knives, sunglasses, watches, and everyday carry. Together, they’ll explore different philosophies of gear collecting, from logical progressions t...
Monochrome
The connection between Omega and movie franchise James Bond 007 is one of the strongest imaginable, dating back to Goldeneye in 1995. Since then, at least one Omega watch has been worn on screen by the world’s most famous secret agent, in every movie released since. And while we don’t yet know who will incarnate […]
Fratello
In the original James Bond books by Ian Fleming, the secret agent wore the same watch as the author himself, a Rolex Explorer ref. 1016. In the James Bond movies, however, he wore a variety of watches from different brands. Interestingly enough, it was never an Explorer. And as you know, Bond has worn Omega […] Visit James Bond And His Omega Seamaster Watches — An Overview to read the full article.
Hodinkee
What We Know Today marks the introduction of Omega's next Bond Seamaster. Don't worry, you haven't missed an announcement of Daniel Craig's successor—this new Seamaster Chronograph is an homage to… a video game. Yes, that's right. The commercial success of Omega's involvement in the James Bond franchise has been well documented, so it seems that a line of watches rooted in its connection to a history of fantasy and fiction through film would naturally extend to adjacent properties. This is the Seamaster Diver 300M Chronograph 007 First Light, a remix of the brand's large diving chronograph that appears in the upcoming 007 First Light video game. Interestingly, this is the first Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Chronograph in the James Bond universe—chronographs have made appearances on Bond in the movies, but this is the first from the Bond-tied line-up since the partnership kicked off in 1995 with GoldenEye. Given that it's largely identical to the current Seamaster 300M Chronographs out there, it should feel quite familiar, despite this version's inspiration tracking back to 3D-rendered models. Coming in at a very large 44mm diameter, 17.2mm height, and 52.8mm lug-to-lug, the 300 meter diver comes in steel with plenty of contrasting black zirconium-oxide ceramic, thanks to the white enamel-filled bezel insert, the chronograph pushers, and the trademark glossy ceramic wave-engraved dial of the modern Seamaster 300M. One of Omega's interesting quirks that I've always loved...
Monochrome
March LA.B is an indie French watch brand that blends retro-inspired design with a California-French surfer lifestyle vibe. Founded in 2009 and based in Los Angeles and Biarritz – hence the LA.B in the name – the brand has a penchant for shaped cases. The flagship AM2 family, an evolution of the foundational AM1 inspired […]
Fratello
Fashion is a fickle and unpredictable muse, isn’t she? While some predict the demise of the analog watch under pressure from smartwatches, something as unexpected as the Audemars Piguet × Swatch Royal Pop could imaginably swing the pendulum the other way. Could it trigger a resurgence of ye olde pocket watch? And if so, are […] Visit In Case The Audemars Piguet × Swatch Royal Pop Inspired You, Here Are Some Modern Pocket Watches to read the full article.
Monochrome
What is Ressence if not one of the most recognisable identities in independent watchmaking? From the crownless Type 3 (check out the recent Type 3 Marc Newson) to the oil-filled Type 5, Ressence founder Benoît Mintiens has consistently challenged the conventional relationship between display, ergonomics and mechanical watchmaking, leading to the introduction of the Type […]
SJX Watches
Two leading practitioners of fine watchmaking, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet face off at Christie’s upcoming Hong Kong auction, Important Watches: Featuring “Kronos: Titans of Time”, “The Eternity” and “The Chronicle” Collections. The catalogue features blue chip high complications such as the Sky Moon Tourbillon, as well as under-appreciated neo-vintage discoveries, and the most striking of this selection doesn’t even chime. Lot 2424 – Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref. 5002P-001 While Patek Philippe’s Sky Moon Tourbillon started as a supporting act to the Star Caliber 2000, miniaturising the latter’s planisphere with moon passage and phases, its mindshare has far surpassed its larger sibling. It was Patek Philippe’s most complicated wristwatch when first launched, and the super-watch of the 2000s. Collectors entering the watch world during that time speak of it with the same nostalgia and reverence 2000s kids give to the Bugatti Veyron. The design was rather contemporary for early 2000s Patek Philippe, and looks nothing like its successor, the baroque ref. 6002. At 42 mm in diameter, it was also notably large — the ref. 5016 with which shares most of its movement, was only 36 mm in diameter. It was forward thinking in another way, selling an extremely expensive, astronomical complication as an off-the-rack product, continuing Philippe Stern’s “build it and they will come” attitude that began with the Calibre 89. Patek Philippe’...
Worn & Wound
For many, an interest in horology is sparked by inheriting a wristwatch or pocket watch from a relative. While my fascination with the hobby instead stems from a spur-of-the-moment purchase at a flea market, I’ve been lucky enough to inherit several timepieces that will always be part of my collection and family. Recently, my grandfather, Raymond Harter, passed away at the age of 81. After his passing, my initial feelings and reaction, of course, centered around the familial sphere––taking time with loved ones to grieve and remember the times we had spent together over the years. As a watch collector, however, there was a part of me that felt he never really left. You see, I had received a 1968 Hamilton Accumatic A-203 with a solid 14K gold case from him years ago, which his father had purchased brand new and passed down to him. Even though we couldn’t chat about the New York Giants and watch SportsCenter together anymore, this Accumatic symbolized to me that those memories and that legacy aren’t going away anytime soon. I had researched this model when I first received it, and was only able to locate one or two blogs about it. There’s truly no better time than now to take a deep dive into the A-203 and learn about the watch that my family will cherish for generations to come. A Brief History of the Hamilton Accumatic Line and the A-203 The Accumatic line was a staple of Hamilton watchmaking for almost two decades, beginning production in 1956 and ceasing by 19...
Hodinkee
If there's one brand that remains near and dear to the heart of Hodinkee, it's Universal Genève. In some ways, my own love of watches may not have flourished the way it did without the incredibly broad range of designs and concepts from Universal in that period. Simple chronographs, calendar chronographs, calendar watches, dress watches, oversized Aviator watches, and even convertible watches were all part of the Universal story. It just did SO many things back then, and when it was announced that the House of Brands (the parent company of Breitling, and now Gallet and Universal) would be re-launching it in full force, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. And I think it's fair to say that many felt that way. But Mr. Kern, who led the project along with a great team of young enthusiasts, knew they needed feedback from the long-standing group of collectors to ensure what they made hit all the right notes. So they assembled a group of advisers to give feedback along the way. The group included Mr. Fred Mandelbaum, Mr. Eric Wind, myself, Mr. Alessandro Fanciulli (Mr. A), Mr. Auro Montanari, and many more die-hard Universal lovers. You can see some photos of one of our meet-ups right here, dating back more than two years ago. The advisory board would give notes, and the internal team would process them accordingly – mostly in design details. And in the end, Universal Genève was fully reborn with an astonishingly wide range of watches just last month in Geneva. It includes tw...
Deployant
Longines pays homage to the brand's celebrated 1959 diving watch with a new release of the Legend Diver 59. With Longines Diver historical references.
Fratello
We’ve been following Awake since well before the 2024 introduction of its Sơn Mài collection. The watches, which feature painstakingly layered Vietnamese lacquer over silver leaf, have vaulted the brand into new territory. Each release is greeted with fervor from fans, and the limited editions frequently sell out quickly. Until now, the watches have featured […] Visit Introducing: The New, Smaller Awake Sơn Mài Guilloché Main Lineup to read the full article.
Hodinkee
What We Know Awake is launching three new watches today, along with a new visual identity for the young brand. The three references—"Sunset," "Alba," and "Borealis"—take their names and color palettes from celestial phenomena: an ocean sunset, an incandescent dawn, and the Northern Lights, respectively. "Alba" The dials are the story here, and the story behind them is quite fascinating. The process begins in Hanoi, Vietnam, where master lacquerers apply multiple ultra-thin layers of Sơn Mài lacquer—derived from the sap of the Rhus Verniciflua tree—then meticulously polish each coat to build up the dial's color. Sunset gets pink, violet, and blue. Alba gets red, yellow, and orange. Borealis gets green and yellow. Once the lacquer work is complete, the dials travel to Italy, where they're handed to the Renzetti family—one of the last workshops in Europe still practicing hand guilloché—who work them on traditional rose and straight-line engine lathes, entirely by hand, for approximately 15 hours per dial. Each groove is unique to the individual artisan and the individual piece. "Sunset" The hands and indices are constructed with a steel cap system finished in polished, brushed, and engraved textures, filled with Super-LumiNova BGW9. The result is a lume solution that's discreet in daylight but comes alive in the dark, casting a soft halo over the lacquer and guilloché beneath. All of this sits inside a new 38mm stainless steel case, a first for Awake. It fea...
Fratello
The Netherlands is not exactly known as a traditional watchmaking powerhouse. This is a small country of people practical by nature and generally not inclined toward excessive displays of luxury. Over the years, though, several Dutch watch brands have built impressive international reputations. Names like Christiaan van der Klaauw, Grönefeld, and Holthinrichs immediately come to […] Visit Hands-On With The Sero Silver Signature to read the full article.
Fratello
When something happened way over half a century ago, it is now time to forgive and embrace. Not to forgive and forget, mind you, but forgive and embrace. With the introduction of the Astron in 1969, Seiko set something in motion that shook the traditional Swiss watch industry to its core. Its existence was in […] Visit “Quartz” Is No Longer A Dirty Word — All Is Forgiven, And It’s Time To Embrace The Battery Or The Solar Cell to read the full article.
Monochrome
While we often publish articles in our Industry News section, those are mostly focused on the financial results of Swiss and/or European brands and groups, by looking at major actors such as the Swatch Group, Richemont or LVMH, the exports of Swiss Watches, or estimated rankings by Vontobel and Morgan Stanley/LuxeConsult. What we have never […]
Fratello
When we write about watches at Fratello, we typically have three levels of engagement with the product. First, we have our basic introduction articles, for which we base our writing solely on press materials, keeping it brief and factual. Second, we have our hands-on reviews, which allow us to spend time with the watch before […] Visit Experiencing The A. Lange & Söhne Cabaret Tourbillon Honeygold At The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Taking place right next door to Watches & Wonders, Time to Watches is an annual fair dedicated to independent watchmaking. Among the exhibitors this year was Stéphane von Gunten, the watchmaker behind the Haute-Rive brand. Arguably the most technically impressive watch on display was the Honoris Meccanica, the most mechanical looking of Haute-Rive’s Honoris line. The timepiece houses a three meter-long mainspring which allows it to achieve a power reserve of 41 days — more specifically 1,000 hours. Unlike some other watches with ultra-long power reserves, the Honoris Meccanica remains a properly sized and wearable timepiece that doesn’t feel like a wrist-worn experiment. Initial thoughts Stéphane von Gunten is part of a new generation of independent watchmakers with a strong engineering background, rather than a career spent doing restoration work. Before launching Haute-Rive, Mr von Gunten worked as a Research and Innovation Director at the Sowind group, which owns Girard-Perregaux and Ulysse Nardin. His most notable work happened while at Ulysse Nardin, where Mr von Gunten filed a number of important patents, ranging from the oval-shaped hairspring still used by Ulysse Nardin today to constant force escapements and compliant flexure oscillators. As fate would have it, one of Mr von Gunten’s ancestors is Irénée Aubry, the watchmaker behind the “Hebdomas” eight-day pocket watch of 1888. Commercialised under many names, the movement only required winding...
Worn & Wound
The hype started immediately. Just a little over a week ago, Audemars Piguet and Swatch began teasing the unthinkable: a collaboration. Well, not just a collab, it quickly became clear that this would be another bioceramic recreation, of sorts, of an iconic watch. Named “Royal Pop,” thus evoking the most Veblen of watches, the Royal Oak. Without even showing what the final product would be, collectors, enthusiasts, speculators, hype chasers, pop culture analysts, your awkward relative that texts you everything watch-related they stumble upon, knew this would be big. Not just big in terms of the watch industry, but big in terms of product launches on a global level. Think iPhone, but dumber. When Swatch launched the MoonSwatch back in 2022, there were similar initial reactions. Contempt, excitement, speculation. On the day of launch, I met up with Worn & Wound co-founder Blake Malin to head to a store to maybe pick one up. While on the train, we heard about the lines and decided to bail. Thanks to sites like StockX and eBay, the value of these watches skyrocketed before launch, drawing in a crowd of opportunistic resellers. No shade towards them, a living is a living, but the tone of the launch shifted. It wasn’t for us anymore. Eventually, social media outlets reported that some of the lines were getting rowdy. Not a good look. Despite the inane “boutique” launch model, eventually we got the watches, and, for a time, they were fun. Back to 2026 – despite knowin...
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