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Results for Swiss vs Japanese Watchmaking

4,700 articles · 22 videos found · page 46 of 158

TAG Heuer’s Latest Carrera Taps Team Ikuzawa SJX Watches
TAG Heuer s Latest Carrera Taps 23h ago

TAG Heuer’s Latest Carrera Taps Team Ikuzawa

Following TAG Heuer’s first collaboration with Japanese racing squad Team Ikuzawa and Bamford Watch Department in 2023, the trio has returned for a second lap with the limited edition TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Team Ikuzawa, bringing the red-and-white livery of the racing legend to the popular “glassbox” format for the first time. Initial thoughts Unlike many other legacy Swiss watch brands, TAG Heuer has demonstrated an ability to reach beyond traditional design influences to infuse its watches with a diverse range of elements from contemporary fashion. Last year’s Fujiwara streetwear collab is a prime example. With racing being so strongly linked to TAG Heuer’s history and brand identity, the collaboration with Ikuzawa is conceptually very fitting and extends the brand’s reach beyond the starting grid, deeper into motorsport culture. The Carrera Ikuzawa gets the mid-sized 39 mm ‘glassbox’ case, which is just under 14 mm thick. The case takes its name from its dramatically domed crystal, which encompasses the raised dial flange underneath, in place of a traditional bezel. Despite numerous vintage design cues, the Carrera Ikuzawa doesn’t look or feel like a vintage watch or vintage reissue. The clous de Paris dial texture and the depth of the ‘glassbox’ construction help it maintain its contemporary look. A Chrono-first dial With so much in common with the standard Carrera, much of the difference is down to the dial, which blends design cues from...

BA111OD Introduces a New Version of their Chapter 7 Skeleton Integrated Bracelet Sports Watch Worn & Wound
Jul 27, 2026

BA111OD Introduces a New Version of their Chapter 7 Skeleton Integrated Bracelet Sports Watch

Swiss indie BA111OD has introduced a new version of their Chapter 7 integrated bracelet sports watch featuring a skeleton dial. BA111OD has quietly been building a reputation these last few years for challenging long held conventions about value and what can be expected at certain price points (they make tourbillons starting at around $10,000). While the brand was founded in 2019, the family behind it has a watchmaking lineage that goes all the way back to the 18th century, so their perspective is shaped by both traditional Swiss watchmaking values and modern design sensibilities. I’ll be honest, my first reaction to the core Chapter 7 watches when they were initially introduced was essentially a shrug of the shoulders. Certainly there was nothing wrong with it, but it seemed to me to be yet another integrated bracelet design, an idea that has quickly become generic in these years following the Royal Oak and Nautilus boom. Somehow, though, with the skeleton version of the Chapter 7, first seen with an anthracite PVD treatment, the watch seemed to come together for me. I’m a sucker for a well executed skeleton treatment on a sports watch, and BA111OD’s approach, with cantilevered indices over a solid rehaut surrounding the open dial, makes for a legible and easy to digest presentation.  Last week, BA111OD unveiled a new version of the Chapter 7 Skeleton with a natural steel finish that they say is inspired by the summer light in Neuchâtel, where the brand is based. ...

Industry News: Ronda Returns to Mechanical Movements with the Impressive R01 Worn & Wound
Seiko Jun 12, 2026

Industry News: Ronda Returns to Mechanical Movements with the Impressive R01

Typically, not a lot happens in the world of third-party mechanical watch movements. The ETA2824 reigned supreme for decades until Swatch Group stopped openly supplying them, giving way primarily to Sellita, Soprod, and La Joux Perret on the Swiss side, and Miyota and Seiko on the Japanese side. For the most part, the catalogs of those brands stayed relatively unchanged for many years, but now, it appears that there’s a bit of an arms race happening. The days of 42-hour power reserves are over, and brands are now vying for features and specifications once limited to more expensive calibers; to that end, there have been a series of interesting events/releases. First, the COSC announced the creation of the “Excellence Chronometer” standard with a -2/+4 accuracy standard among other considerations. Sellita launched the SW200-2 Power + movements with 65-hour reserves, new gear trains, and other improvements. The CEO of La Joux Perret spoke about the upcoming G-200 caliber, which will feature a 72-hour reserve and antimagnetic properties, on the Hodinkee podcast. And this week, a very exciting new automatic was announced by a surprising source: Ronda. The R150 launched in 2016 Ronda is a well-known Swiss manufacturer that was founded in 1946. Over their 80 years of existence, they have specialized in many things, from component manufacturing to ebauchés and full mechanical movements to, beginning in the 1970s, quartz calibers, which is what they are best known for today....

Introducing - Kiwame Tokyo Releases the New Kubo Collection Monochrome
Kiwame Tokyo Jun 9, 2026

Introducing - Kiwame Tokyo Releases the New Kubo Collection

Kiwame Tokyo is a young Japanese microbrand founded in 2025 by watch industry veteran Masami Watanabe, dedicated to “honest watchmaking” from Asakusa, Tokyo. By this, Watanabe refers to timeless, well-finished and designed watches at accessible prices that steer clear of artifice and superficiality. The strong Calatrava dress-watch vibe of the debut Kurotsuki and Usuki models […]

First Look - The New Raymond Weil A.R.T., the Brand’s First Integrated-Bracelet Sporty-Chic Collection Monochrome
Raymond Weil A.R.T Jun 8, 2026

First Look - The New Raymond Weil A.R.T., the Brand’s First Integrated-Bracelet Sporty-Chic Collection

For a company that has spent nearly five decades building its reputation on accessible Swiss watchmaking, with quite a few recent successes with vintage-inspired releases, Raymond Weil has largely stayed away from one of the industry’s most competitive categories: the integrated-bracelet sports watch. Well, there’s a first time for everything, and Raymond Weil launches the […]

Independent Highlights at Marteau & Co.’s Summer Sale SJX Watches
Patek Philippe ref 2524 Jun 5, 2026

Independent Highlights at Marteau & Co.’s Summer Sale

Online-only auctioneer Marteau & Co returns for its third sale, The Heat Wave. which opens at noon Geneva time on June 10, continuing with its focus on independent watchmaking. Marteau & Co was founded just last year by a duo including industry veteran Arthur Touchot, who spent several years as a journalist followed by a stint at a prominent auction house. The Swiss auctioneer sets itself apart with its intriguing “Maker’s Fee” concept, which rewards the maker of the timepiece with 3% of the hammer price for each watch sold, allowing a brand to benefit from the appreciation of its products. While artists’ resale rights, or droit de suite, is far from a new concept, and has been codified into law in the European Union and United Kingdom, Marteau & Co’s approach is the first instance of its application in watchmaking. Lot 6 – Voutilainen Decimal Repeater Regulator piece unique Kari Voutilainen needs no introduction, but this watch does as it is, like all Voutilainen minute repeaters, a unique piece. This example left the Voutilainen workshop in 2024, cased in 38 mm of unusual 4N gold, which sits between red and yellow gold, while the hands and dial, as you’d expect from any Voutilainen watch – excellent, but with a chiming twist. During a survey of vintage repeating wristwatches you’ll realize that many only have two hands. If you compared the movement of, say, a Patek Philippe ref. 2524 with a seconds hand to one without, the reason becomes clear. The two ...

Introducing: The Zenith G.F.J. Calibre 135 Double Signed With Naoya Hida & Co. Fratello
Zenith G.F.J Calibre 135 Double Jun 2, 2026

Introducing: The Zenith G.F.J. Calibre 135 Double Signed With Naoya Hida & Co.

Zenith’s caliber 135 continues its revival within the brand’s modern lineup with a new version. After the restored vintage-powered editions from 2022 and the following G.F.J. releases in 2025 and 2026, the brand now adds a special, limited collaboration with Naoya Hida to the collection. This time, the focus shifts toward Japanese independent watchmaking. The […] Visit Introducing: The Zenith G.F.J. Calibre 135 Double Signed With Naoya Hida & Co. to read the full article.

Formex Enters The Arena Of Integrated-Bracelet Watches With Its Aria Manufacture Chronometer Fratello
Formex Enters May 29, 2026

Formex Enters The Arena Of Integrated-Bracelet Watches With Its Aria Manufacture Chronometer

As a small brand, Formex has consistently pushed the boundaries of affordable watchmaking. By using new materials, integrating innovations, and simply creating a great, varied collection of watches, the young Swiss brand has stood out in recent years. With the new Aria Manufacture Chronometer, Formex unveils a new milestone for the company. It marks a […] Visit Formex Enters The Arena Of Integrated-Bracelet Watches With Its Aria Manufacture Chronometer to read the full article.

The Business of Watches Podcast: Angelus and Arnold & Son Chief Executive Officer Pascal Béchu Hodinkee
Arnold & Son Chief Executive Officer Pascal May 27, 2026

The Business of Watches Podcast: Angelus and Arnold & Son Chief Executive Officer Pascal Béchu

This week on The Business of Watches, we're in La Chaux-de-Fonds to speak to Pascal Béchu, who heads not one, but two Swiss watchmaking brands, Angelus and Arnold & Son.  Pascal Béchu, the CEO of Angelus and Arnold & Son They're both specialized, low-production, high-horology watchmakers, with very different back stories. While Angelus is a historic Swiss brand known for its repeaters, chronographs, and long power reserve movements, Arnold & Son celebrates the work and innovation of one of history's most important (British) watchmakers, John Arnold. While quite different in their product and strategies, the two brands share the same parent company in Japan's Citizen Group, and both work closely with movement maker La Joux-Perret, with whom they share manufacturing and office space in La Chaux-de-Fonds.  Pascal Béchu is in charge of both marques. He talks about the history and the future for both brands, some recent successes in the form of celebrity clients for Arnold & Son, and a GPHG prize for Angelus. He also discusses prices and the impact the strong Swiss franc and the soaring price of precious metals are having on corporate strategy and planning.  And a quick bit of housekeeping, this conversation was recorded just before Watches & Wonders and the new novelties launched by both brands, including the Angelus 'Tinkler' quarter repeater, so these new watches are not discussed on the podcast.  But first, we round up the latest business news with the most recent ...

Hands On: Nouvelle Chronometrie Montre Ordinaire SJX Watches
Breguet attire May 19, 2026

Hands On: Nouvelle Chronometrie Montre Ordinaire

One of the most intriguing debuts in independent watchmaking this year is Nouvelle Chronometrie with its Montre Ordinaire. Despite the name, Nouvelle Chronometrie is actually Japanese, and the “ordinary” watch is a tourbillon chronometer inspired by 20th century observatory chronometer watches and dressed in formal Breguet attire. With its rigorously classical design, evident on both the front and back, the Nouvelle Chronometrie is distinctly Japanese at heart in how it careful reproduces and enhances traditional watchmaking – executed with a great deal of attention to detail. Moreover, the manufacturing of the watch is a combination of both old school manual methods and modern technology, reflecting a typically Japanese embrace of technology, not for cost efficiency, but for the sake of quality. Initial thoughts I first came across Nouvelle Chronometrie on Instagram. It was just images of the watch, with no information on the brand’s origins. Then I learnt Nouvelle Chronometrie was founded and led by Noritaka Sakurai, a longtime collector who pivoted to join the industry – which ironically left me a little sceptical. Though I have known Mr Sakurai for a long time and regard him highly as a collector, he was chief executive at Hajime Asaoka’s watchmaking outfit until 2020 – that employer was a red flag for me. Fortunately, Mr Sakurai has left that behind, and has now gone all in with Nouvelle Chronometrie, a project that deserves recognition and praise. Accor...

First Look - Pumping Up Horology with the Surprising H. Moser & Cie. x Reebok Streamliner Pump Monochrome
H. Moser & Cie x Reebok Apr 14, 2026

First Look - Pumping Up Horology with the Surprising H. Moser & Cie. x Reebok Streamliner Pump

H. Moser & Cie. is one of the few Swiss brands that knows how to have fun. Unlike the solemnity and pomp of most top-tier Swiss watch brands, Moser brings a refreshing playfulness to the table without compromising its impeccable watchmaking credentials. In an industry where partnerships are predictable, Moser’s latest collaboration with sneaker titan […]

Introducing - The Sculptural Appeal of the New Hautlence Kubera Series 1 Monochrome
Hautlence Kubera Series 1 Hautlence Apr 13, 2026

Introducing - The Sculptural Appeal of the New Hautlence Kubera Series 1

Hautlence, the contemporary, independent Swiss watchmaking brand, has made its mark with unconventional time displays. Founded in Neuchâtel in 2004, it quickly stood out for turning time into a more theatrical experience, with the HL01 setting the tone through jumping hours and retrograde minutes. Returning to Watches & Wonders this year, Hautlence unveils a brand […]

Introducing - The Jacob & Co The Godfather II, a Spectacular Double Melody Musical Timepiece Monochrome
Jacob & Co. Apr 8, 2026

Introducing - The Jacob & Co The Godfather II, a Spectacular Double Melody Musical Timepiece

Jacob & Co has followed a truly extraordinary trajectory within the Swiss watchmaking landscape, standing apart through the very nature of its creations. The brand is renowned for pieces that are strikingly expressive in their design yet equally arresting for their technical sophistication and complexity. Among the many remarkable creations unveiled by the brand, one […]

Universal Genève Is Back! Introducing Four Collections, With The Famous Polerouter Leading The Way Fratello
Universal Genève Apr 8, 2026

Universal Genève Is Back! Introducing Four Collections, With The Famous Polerouter Leading The Way

Finally, after two years of teasing, Universal Genève is back. Yes, the brand is back in a tangible way with four collections and a soon-to-open flagship store in the heart of Geneva, its city of origin. From the 1940s through the 1960s, Universal Genève stood among the most respected names in high-end Swiss watchmaking. The […] Visit Universal Genève Is Back! Introducing Four Collections, With The Famous Polerouter Leading The Way to read the full article.

Introducing - Credor Goldfeather Tourbillon Engraved Limited Edition GBCF997 Monochrome
Seiko s high-end brand created Apr 1, 2026

Introducing - Credor Goldfeather Tourbillon Engraved Limited Edition GBCF997

Founded in 1974, Credor is Seiko’s high-end brand created to showcase Japanese haute horlogerie, artistic finishing and ultra-thin watchmaking. Originally exclusive to Japan, Credor began its international expansion in 2024 with the launch of the Locomotive model, a watch originally designed by Genta, and will consolidate its position as it will soon be exhibited at […]

Oris Big Crown Pointer Date “Bullseye” Review Teddy Baldassarre
Oris Mar 27, 2026

Oris Big Crown Pointer Date “Bullseye” Review

Before we get into my review of the Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Bullseye, let's get some context about the brand out of the way. Oris traces its foundation to 1904, when two natives of the Swiss watchmaking town of Le Locle, Paul Cattin and Georges Christian, opened their watch factory in the German-speaking Swiss town of Hölstein. Cattin and Christian named their company “Oris” after the Orisbach tributary, a brook near the factory.A maker of pocket watches and, by 1925, the increasingly popular wristwatches, Oris enjoyed a long period of growth and expansion throughout the following decades and even made its own movements. Losing its independence during the consolidation years of the Quartz Crisis, Oris regained it in the 1980s, when a management buyout transformed the company and solidified its mission to make only mechanical watches going forward. Today, Oris is well established as a staple for value-conscious collectors of Swiss-made watches.  While much of its modern output is devoted to sport-oriented timepieces, like the popular Aquis and Divers (formerly Divers Sixty-Five) diving watches, the brand’s most recognizable and emblematic collection is the Big Crown Pointer Date, which has been a mainstay of the brand’s portfolio - and in constant production - since 1938. It was the first watch with a date indication displayed via a central hand on an outer scale, and it took the other part of its model name from its signature design element - an oversiz...

Raymond Weil’s Well-Dressed Millesime “Tuxedo” SJX Watches
Raymond Weil Feb 26, 2026

Raymond Weil’s Well-Dressed Millesime “Tuxedo”

An eighties icon that is finding fresh footing, Raymond Weil has extended its GPHG-winning dress watch collection with the Millesime Small Seconds 39 mm “Tuxedo”. Available in three appealing colourways, the Millesime features Art Deco-inspired typography that brings a surprising degree of energy to the line-up’s familiar sector-style dial. Initial thoughts Raymond Weil was one of the biggest names in Swiss watchmaking in the 1980s and 1990s. Raymond Weil himself was one of the first entrepreneurs to see a future for mechanical watchmaking amidst the rubble of the quartz crisis, launching his eponymous brand in 1976. While peak production is in the past, the brand seems to have rebounded with a collection of well-received dress watches and savvy limited editions. The new Millesime Small Seconds embodies the carefully considered details that have underpinned the brand’s recent resurgence. It’s not revolutionary by any means, but at just US$2,295 it offers an affordable entry point to the world of Swiss dress watches. Affordability is one thing, but appeal is another. Fortunately the 39 mm Millesime hits many of the right notes in each of the three colourways, including a so-called ‘tuxedo’ configuration in either classic back and white or on-trend burgundy, as well as a dark blue option that might be the dark horse favourite. Art Deco trio All three models have a few key things in common, starting with the stainless steel case. The Millesime measures 39 mm in ...

In-Depth: Orient Star’s Smart Silicon Escape Wheel SJX Watches
Seiko Epson’s massive industrial base Feb 26, 2026

In-Depth: Orient Star’s Smart Silicon Escape Wheel

While silicon mechanical movement components have swept across Switzerland, adoption has been slow within the Japanese watch industry, stymied by Swiss patents and professed concerns over the material’s durability. To this day, it remains the unlikely domain of Orient Star, a small brand with priority access to Seiko Epson’s massive industrial base. This positions Orient Star to capitalise on consumer demand for increasingly long power reserves, without sacrificing performance. Thanks to an ultralight and geometrically efficient escape wheel with a patented design, Orient Star is able to deliver a 70-hour power reserve without resorting the same counter-productive trade-offs to balance energy made by some Swiss peers – here’s how it was done. A silicon wafer of escape wheels. Image – Seiko Epson The quest for longer power reserves Recent consumer demand for longer power reserves has sent the industry’s engineers scrambling for ways to increase the autonomy of existing movement platforms. A movement’s power reserve is dictated by the length of the mainspring, which unwinds at a constant rate. That is why using a chronograph doesn’t cause a watch to run down faster – usually. Of course, you need to find somewhere to fit that extra length of mainspring while maintaining the movement’s dimensions, such as by thinning out the barrel walls, narrowing the inner barrel arbour radius, or, reducing the thickness of the mainspring. However, while decreasing the ma...

Hugues’ Accomplishment: The Story of Hugues Bürki SJX Watches
Longines can actually trace their Feb 9, 2026

Hugues’ Accomplishment: The Story of Hugues Bürki

Nestled in the Jura Mountains, La Chaux-de-Fonds has been a cradle of Swiss watchmaking ever since its watchmaking school, the Technicum, opened in 1865. For aspiring watchmakers, the climax of their training was traditionally the creation of a montre école – or what’s known as a school watch. This is the story of Hugues Bürki, a Technicum alumnus, who built what would become a record-breaking school watch, and who would later make horological history as a movement engineer. Hugues Bürki. Image – author The Technicum The watchmaking school of La Chaux-de-Fonds was founded in 1865. In its early days, the school occupied rooms inside the modestly named ‘Technicum’, a local vocational-technical school. By 1885, the school’s own building had been inaugurated, yet the name Technicum stuck. In 1933, in the wake of the global economic crisis, the nearby watchmaking schools in La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle were merged to form the Technicum Neuchâtelois. The Technicum in the 1960s. Image – author It demands attention that both divisions of the Technicum Neuchâtelois had a particularly strong focus on high-precision chronometry at the time compared to other watchmaking schools in Switzerland, which specialised in other domains, such as the construction of complications and traditional finishing techniques. In fact, some of the innovations in chronometry we associate with brands like Longines can actually trace their roots to the Technicum Neuchâtelois, including...

Affordable Vintage: the Longines Grand Prize Worn & Wound
Longines Grand Prize Longines Feb 4, 2026

Affordable Vintage: the Longines Grand Prize

Longines is a storied and well-respected Swiss watch manufacture that formed in 1832 and has continued uninterrupted to this day. From the first wrist chronometer in 1911, to groundbreaking flyback chronographs in the 1930s, to the world’s first hi-beat wrist chronometer in 1959, Longines holds their own in the watchmaking world.  My favorite period for watches is the 1950s through the 1970s and Longines was one of the top accessible brands during that time. In 1954 Longines began a marketing strategy of product families, launching the Conquest line of watches. In 1957 they introduced the Flagship line, adding to what would become a large group of watch families, many of which are still made today. Other lines that came later include the Admiral, the Ultra-Chron and the Grand Prize. The Grand Prize line was named in honor of the multitude of watchmaking awards and honors that Longines had accumulated over the decades. It was a relatively short-lived family, produced from about 1958 to 1964 according to my research. I have found that the majority of Longines watches produced during these decades were all fairly equal in quality and craftsmanship, with most of the differences in the families being design related. The Conquests were rugged and sporty, on par with the early non-diver Omega Seamaster watches. The Flagship series were dress watches, while the Admiral line was a mixture of both. The Grand Prize family were pretty much all thin, elegant everyday type dressier w...

Industry News: Sellita Introduces the SW200-2 with 65 Hour Power Reserve Worn & Wound
Tissot as Jan 26, 2026

Industry News: Sellita Introduces the SW200-2 with 65 Hour Power Reserve

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...