Results for Longines

T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Jul 22, 2025

Top 10 Watch Brands In India

Before I get into the top 10 watch brands in India, it’s worth talking about the Indian watch market overall. This is because even in the face of some regional slowdown, India has become one of the fastest growing markets for Swiss watch exports with an astounding 25% increase in 2025, according to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry. Brands like Rado, Longines, and Montblanc are as popular as ever in India, but what about the state of watchmaking in India? Well, it’s a bit of a mixed bag, and there are a few things we need to understand before getting into the my selections for the top 10 watch brands in India. First, India is not yet at the level of having a watchmaking infrastructure like that of China. The basic history of Indian watchmaking begins with the nationalized HMT in the 1960s and '70s, but the quartz revolution had a big, negative impact on mechanical watchmaking in the country. I’d say 2015 marked a change in the landscape of Indian watches, when microbrands for enthusiasts began to pick up in popularity. Again, while the infrastructure to manufacture movement components and parts in India is still not there, the passion for history and design has propelled some brands as hometown enthusiast darlings. I spent quite a bit of time researching this topic, and I do want to shout out YouTubers  WatchgyanHindi  and Watch and More India who are making some compelling Hindi content for the South Asian watch enthusiast community. In this list of the ...

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T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Rolex Jul 2, 2025

Paul Newman Rolex Daytona: The World's Most Valuable Watch

If you are into watches and watch collecting, you have heard of the “Paul Newman Rolex,” have heard of it spoken of with reverence and awe, and have perhaps even longed to possess or at least see one yourself. But how did this watch - a very specific version of the Rolex Daytona - become the celebrity watch of all celebrity watches, as well as the né plus ultra representing the absolute highest echelon of watch connoisseurship? It’s a story of watch marketing savvy and market serendipity that spans the globe from Geneva to Daytona, from Cleveland to Hollywood. Rolex was riding a hot streak of successes in the 1950s and early ‘60s. The Swiss company had already introduced to the market the definitive luxury divers’ watch, the Submariner; the quintessential luxury travel watch, the GMT-Master; and even an understated, rugged outdoor watch, the Explorer, that became a star in its one right by virtue of its role in the historic summit of Mount Everest. The one popular category that Rolex had yet to really crack was the emerging genre of motorsport-inspired wrist chronographs, an area in which brands like Heuer (today’s TAG Heuer), Longines, and Breitling had a substantial head start. Rolex boldly jumped into the fray, introducing its first “pre-Daytona” wristwatch chronograph, Ref. 6234, in 1955, and its successor, Ref. 6238, in 1962. Both were 36mm steel watches outfitted with manually wound Valjoux 72 calibers, and both had dials that read simply “Chro...

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T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Grand Seiko Jun 18, 2025

Grand Seiko SBGM221 GMT Review

The GMT market has changed dramatically in the past seven years. I use that number specifically, because it takes us to 2018, when Tudor brought attainable traveller GMT (independent hour hand functionality) to market in a splashy way. Since then we have seen brands like Longines and Mido continue the work by delivering more options at even better price points. From a general “caller GMT” standpoint, Seiko has knocked it out of the park with models like those within the SSK range. We are living in a GMT moment with more options than ever. But if you took things back just one more year, to 2017, you could argue that it was the year Japan’s Grand Seiko made a mic-dropping value statement by way of the SBGM221, a traveller GMT in a dressier package with elite functionality while delivering value that far outpaces its price point. In 2025, that value proposition has not changed at all. Background:  The DNA of the SBGM221 looks back to the early roots of Grand Seiko in the 1960s to inform its design, but from a modern standpoint more directly can look to the SBGM021 released around 2010. That year is significant because it was the first year the brand arrived in the U.S. market. Aesthetically, the SBGM021 is an illustration of the older style of co-branded Seiko/Grand Seiko fare. Fast forward to 2017, and the watch reaches its completed form. But the 021, with its ivory dial, and general – and honestly quite original – GMT layout is established. You can see the direc...

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Worn & Wound

Patek Philippe   Jun 5, 2025

Introducing the Héron Mirabel GMT, an Affordable, Vintage Inspired Dressy Travel Watch

It’s hard not to feel overwhelmed by the amount of quirky young watch brands pushing to make their name in the horological world-it seems like we are in the current golden age of microbrands and upstarts. Canadian watchmakers Héron, founded in Montreal in 2021, are among that crowd, and looking to make a name for themselves with vintage-inspired styling that is aimed at collectors with old-school taste. With their latest, the Mirabel GMT, the Québécois brand is channeling both aviation functionality and upscale dressy styling to produce a dual-duty timepiece ala upmarket stalwarts like Longines and Patek Philippe.  The Mirabel GMT sits within a stainless steel “C-shaped” case, and measures in at a sporty 37.5mm in diameter and 43.5mm lug-to-lug. True to Héron’s vintage-look aspirations, the enamel painted sector dial has an art deco flair, and features applied Roman numerals, pilot-style “alpha” hands, and a boxed sapphire crystal with underside anti-reflective coating. Four references are available for the Mirabel GMT, with varying dial shades, Delugs Baranil leather strap options, and case finishes. The “black” option features a black dial with gold details and case, and sits on a black strap, while the “brown” option also features gold accents, but wears a luxurious brown dial. Likewise, the “white” edition features a crisp white dial with blue hands and a dark blue strap, and the “blue” model has a blue dial and the same dark blue s...

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T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Grand Seiko May 20, 2025

Grand Seiko x Teddy Baldassarre 2024

Teddy Baldassarre is an authorized luxury watch retailer of brands like TUDOR, OMEGA, IWC, Grand Seiko, Breitling, Blancpain, Glashütte Original, Zenith, Longines, ORIS, MIDO, Tissot, Hamilton, NOMOS Glashütte, Baume & Mercier, and more.

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T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Apr 6, 2025

Past Events

Teddy Baldassarre is an authorized luxury watch retailer of brands like TUDOR, OMEGA, IWC, Grand Seiko, Breitling, Blancpain, Glashütte Original, Zenith, Longines, ORIS, MIDO, Tissot, Hamilton, NOMOS Glashütte, Baume & Mercier, and more.

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Breitling Adds Gallet Mar 18, 2025

Business News: Breitling Adds Gallet to Portfolio

One of the badly kept secrets in Swiss watchmaking has just come true: Breitling has acquired Gallet. Backed by Swiss private equity firm Partners Group, Breitling has been slowly building itself into a group of brands. The Gallet acquisition comes a little over a year after Breitling took over Universal Genève. According to Breitling chief executive Georges Kern speaking to Fratello Watches, Gallet will be positioned in the sub-CHF3,000 range, topping out at CHF5,000. This puts its squarely in the segment of established brands like Tudor and Longines, which enjoy unparalleled economies of scale, as well as online-only micro brands that lack the overhead of established brands. The rationale of acquiring Gallet is clear. As Mr Kern mentions in his Fratello interview, it gives Breitling a stronger position vis a vis third-party retailers since the brand can now offer products across the price spectrum, with Universal Genève at the very top. This is particularly relevant as many brands owned by luxury groups like Richemont continue to withdraw from third-party retailers. Another factor that is left unsaid in the interview is the enlarged group presumably improves the odds of an exit for Breitling’s private-equity backers. Partners Group bought a majority stake in Breitling at end 2022 from CVC Capital, another private equity firm that bought Breitling in 2017. According to news reports at the time, CVC divested part of its Breitling stake at over five times the 2017 valua...

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T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Feb 26, 2025

The MoonSwatch '1965' Review

If you’re a Speedmaster fan, you know the story. NASA sent out an RFP for an official watch of the space program – a watch that would undergo a litany of tests (pressure, temperature, corrosion resistance, shock, acceleration, and vibration to name more than a few) to prove that it could withstand the rigors of space exploration. Three watches came in for testing: A Longines Wittnauer 235T, a Rolex Daytona Ref. 6238, and an Omega Speedmaster ST105.003 dating to 1964. As you know, the Speedmaster won the contract and on March 1, 1965, it became the aforementioned official watch of the space program. That designation has since been engraved on the caseback of every Moonwatch in production today. This week, the Swatch Instagram account was buzzing with retro video content that would always end with a title card reading “1965.” Today, we know why. Celebrating 60 years since the flight qualification of the Speedmaster, and nearly 60 years from the moment Ed White took a Speedy for a 20-minute space excursion during Gemini IV, Omega and Swatch have announced a celebratory MoonSwatch that marries the past to the present. The first thing you’re going to notice is the white dial, a detail that harkens back to Snoopy MoonSwatch, but more importantly, to the 2024 White Speedmaster that set the watch world on fire after DanielCraig wore it to Planet Omega in New York in 2023. For all of you who wince at the sight of yet another MoonSwatch – and there are plenty of you – ...

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SJX Watches

Massena Lab Aug 29, 2024

Albishorn Debuts with the Maxigraph

Amongst the brands making their debut this summer is Albishorn, which has teamed up with Massena LAB for the Maxigraph, a vintage-inspired regatta timer with a proprietary movement. The Maxigraph is the first watch from Albishorn, a new brand founded by Sébastien Chaulmontet. A lawyer by training, Dr Chaulmontet pivoted to build a career in the watch industry, designing movements at La Joux-Perret and most recently, Sellita. Initial thoughts The Maxigraph is an impressive debut from Dr Chaulmontet. Though arguably similar in concept to other Massena LAB projects, the Maxigraph feels more original since it’s not anchored to any particular historical brand. The bright red chronograph pusher at nine o’clock, for example, is not something you’d see in a vintage catalogue. The polychromatic sector dial and bi-directional rotating bezel are attractive and legible, while the semi-circular countdown register and running indicator add a pleasing degree of asymmetry to the design. The asymmetry continues at night, with an unusual pattern and the use of both green and blue Super-LumiNova for the hour and minute hands, respectively. One of the most appealing characteristics of the Maxigraph is its case, which calls to mind oversized tool watches like the Longines ref. 5824 military chronograph. But unlike that 47 mm beast, the Maxigraph is a manageable 41 mm at the bezel (sloping inwards to just 39 mm at the case middle). The case thickness of 13 mm is typical for this type o...

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T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Jul 26, 2024

Annual Calendar Watches Guide

Annual calendar watches have been on the scene for a while now, though they remain a somewhat niche area of horological interest - not as revered as lofty complications like the perpetual calendar and minute repeater but also not as obsessed over as more down-to-earth mechanisms like chronographs and GMTs. And yet, the annual calendar offers not only one of the most practical functions for an everyday wearer, but has also proven to be a canvas for some truly engaging designs. As per its name, an annual calendar displays the day, date, and month and need only be manually adjusted by its wearer once per year, at the end of February. Patek Philippe's Aquanaut Luce Annual Calendar introduced in 2023 Most of the wristwatch complications we’re familiar with are relatively ancient in origin, and almost all of them old enough to have debuted in pocketwatches rather than wristwatches. The first wristwatch chronograph, made by Longines, appeared in 1913; the first minute repeater for the wrist goes all the way back to 1892, invented by Louis Brandt, founder of Omega; and the first wrist-borne perpetual calendar made its debut in 1925, engineered by none other than Patek Philippe, which had actually invented the compact-sized movement for it as early as 1889, using it at the time in a ladies’ pendant watch. The annual calendar, by contrast, even though it might seem to today’s enthusiasts to be a fixture among luxury watch complications, is much younger, tracing its origin st...

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Blancpain stand out Jul 16, 2024

Business News: Swatch Groups Profit Sinks and Inventories Grow

The owner of brands like Omega and Longines, the Swatch Group just announced its results for the first half of 2024. The half-year numbers crystallised a slowdown that the watch industry has felt since late 2023. Revenue was down 14.3% to CHF3.44 billion, while operating profit plunged 70% to just CHF204 million, giving the group an operating margin of just 5.9%, compared to 17.1% from a year earlier. According to Swatch, the fall in revenue was “triggered by the sharp drop in demand for luxury goods in China (including Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR)”. At the same time, wholesale sales fell over 10%, indicating that third-party retailers are ordering less watches from the group’s brands, which in turn indicates the retailers’ pessimism for the short- and medium term. Swatch also explained the poor results by noting the group did not “make any redundancies… [and] maintaining all production capacities and not laying off qualified staff”. This was done so that “the Group [will] recover more quickly and benefit more significantly from the next upswing.” The progressively weakening positions of each of the group’s brands relative to the competition – marques like Breguet and Blancpain stand out in this regard – imply this might be overoptimistic. Notably, Swatch stated “the Swatch brand bucked the negative trend” thanks to the bestselling MoonSwatch, but this was not (and will not) be sufficient to help the rest of the group given the low value of Swat...

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F Fratello

Fratello

Jaeger-LeCoultre May 20, 2024

Fratello Favorites: The Best Watches Under €2,500 - RJ’s Picks From Oris, Fortis, Tissot, And More

Although €2,500 is not nothing, it’s a very difficult budget to work with - or so I assumed. Initially, I thought I would always go vintage or pre-owned with this budget. For example, it can buy you a nice vintage Longines, Omega, IWC, Breitling, or Jaeger-LeCoultre. But I checked with our managing editor Nacho, and […] Visit Fratello Favorites: The Best Watches Under €2,500 - RJ’s Picks From Oris, Fortis, Tissot, And More to read the full article.

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T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Hamilton Apr 23, 2024

The 10 Best Hamilton Watches for Every Type of Enthusiast

While it’s been making its timepieces in Switzerland since the 1970s, Hamilton Watch Company, founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1892, has few peers when it comes to being a vital thread in the historical tapestry of American watchmaking. The heritage brand, today a part of the Swiss Swatch Group conglomerate of companies, continues to lean heavily into its New World roots for its diverse collection of product families, which ranges from military tool watches to sporty divers, from elegantly appointed dress pieces to retro-futuristic curiosities - while also maintaining a price-to-value ratio for which the brand has long been renowned. It can fairly be said that there is a Hamilton watch for just about everyone, no matter what style they’re seeking. Here, in the tradition of our previous guide to the best Longines watches, we run down 10 of our favorite Hamilton watches that run the stylistic gamut from sporty to dressy, from high-tech to classically mechanical. For the Military Buff: Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical Price: $595, Case Size: 38mm, Thickness: 9.5mm, Lug width: 20mm, Lug to Lug: 47mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 50 meters, Movement: Mechanical Hamilton Caliber H-50 Field watches are an enduringly popular category of timepiece, and without Hamilton, the style as we know it might not even exist. Hamilton basically invented the genre with the “trench watches” that it supplied to American troops during World War I, kicking off a long tradit...

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SJX Watches

Breitling Navitimer Evolves into Apr 1, 2024

The Breitling Navitimer Evolves into a No-Frills GMT

To celebrate its 140th anniversary, Breitling is launching the Navitimer Automatic GMT 41. Zooming into the watch, the signature slide-rule bezel is still present, although this Navitimer omits the chronograph and replaces it with a GMT function. Featuring a 41 mm case in either stainless steel or 18k rose gold, it retains the classic Navitimer style, albeit with a cleaner look without the chronograph sub-dials. Initial Thoughts After revamping the Navitimer in 2022, Breitling gave its trademark aviator’s chronograph more vintage-inspired aesthetics, including more compact cases. Given that the Navitimer is synonymous with the chronograph, it’s not unreasonable to criticise the GMT has having lost some of the spirit of the original. However, I dig the cleaner aesthetics without the pushers and the triple registers. And this is also more affordable. Most Navitimer chronographs are equipped with the in-house B01 movement, resulting in an hefty entry price of US$9,600. The Navitimer Automatic GMT 41 is equipped with an ETA calibre, resulting in a slightly more affordable price that starts at US$6,200 on a stainless steel bracelet. Many other brands in this price bracket now utilise in-house or heavily improved movements, which puts this at a disadvantage in terms of mechanics. That puts it in the middle of the pack for accessible GMT watches: not as affordable as a Longines or the same value proposition as a Tudor, but it has the advantage of the classic Navitimer look th...

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T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Jan 2, 2024

The Best Watches Under $2,000 for 2026

One of the most popular topics of discussion for watch enthusiasts in online forums and social media is how to get the most bang for your buck at a given price point. Today, we’ll be focusing on exactly that, taking a look at some of the most impressive value propositions at or around $2,000. And while price points like $500 and $1,000 each have their standouts in terms of what you’re getting for your money, it is right around two grand that we start to experience some of the more luxurious elements of watchmaking when it comes to case and bracelet finishing, movements, and specifications. We’ll be taking a look at brands like Longines, Oris, Tudor, Sinn, Nomos, and many others that are producing excellent watches packing a lot of enthusiast appeal within the confines of this price range. Before we get into the watches, here are some ground rules: In order to keep the list organized, we’ll arrange it by category, focusing on some of the most popular broad segments of the watch industry including everyday, Flieger, dress, dive, GMT, and chronograph watches. We also won’t be terribly strict about coming in under $2,000, but rather concentrate on watches that are priced around $2,000 as factors like currency exchange rates, local taxes, and whether or not you’re buying pre-owned have a profound effect on final pricing. We’ll make an effort not to include more than four watches from any single brand and will also limit the inclusion of micro-brands, not that ...

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SJX Watches

Richard Mille RM 53-02 Oct 2, 2023

Highlights: Independent Watchmaking at Sotheby’s Hong Kong

Following our look at notable complications and artisanal masterpieces on offer at Sotheby’s Important Watches I in Hong Kong, we now consider the independent watchmaking highlights in the sale that takes place on October 7. The offerings in the sale range from establishment names like Philippe Dufour – on offer is a Simplicity 37 mm in platinum made after the original run – to newcomers like Pascal Coyon with a Besançon Observatory-certified chronometer. And the highlights also include the headline lot of the auction, the extravagant Richard Mille RM 53-02 in blue sapphire crystal. Important Watches I happens on October 7, 2023. Registration for bidding and the full catalogue can be accessed here.  The Richard Mille RM 53-02 Lot 2116: Pascal Coyon Chronometre  One of the most affordable offerings in the sale is the Pascal Coyon Chronometre, a watch inspired by the French watchmaker’s career as a watch and clock repairer in Bayonne. Though based on a Unitas 6498, Mr Coyon’s hand-wound movement bears a strong resemblance to classical 19th-century pocket watches from the likes of Longines. While the movement is still a Unitas 6498 at its core, it has been dressed up with frosted bridges and a snail cam regulator, amongst other things. Being one of his earlier watches, this has a plain, 42 mm polished steel case with a stepped bezel and a white lacquered dial with red numerals for “12” and “60”, complemented by Breguet-style hour and minute hands. This ...

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T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Sep 26, 2023

Wedding Watches: The 10 Best Brands According to Our Instagram Fans

Weddings are an occasion for gift giving, and a fine watch always makes an ideal gift, whether it’s from a parent to a prospective son- or daughter-in-law, a groom to a best man, or exchanged between the betrothed couple in addition to (or in place of) the traditional rings. What are the best wedding watches? We put the question out to our 300,000-plus followers on Instagram (some but not all of them married or engaged) and were overwhelmed by the response. Here we break it down into the top 10 watch brands named in the survey and spotlight some of the specific models that our respondents favored. 1. LONGINES Leading the pack with 25 mentions is Longines, a brand known for making elegant timepieces for both men and ladies and pricing them reasonably. Among the models mentioned specifically are the Master Collection Chronograph, Spirit, Hydroconquest, Flagship Heritage, and Legend Diver. When it comes to Swiss watchmakers, it seems, the venerable maison in bucolic Saint-Imier hits the sweet spot for many prospective brides and grooms. Longines Legend Diver Bronze The Longines Legend Diver is a modern re-issue of a compressor-style dive watch Price: $3,000, Case Size: 42mm, Thickness: 12.7mm, Lug to Lug: 48.2mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 300m, Movement: Automatic ETA A31.L11 The Longines Legend Diver is a modern re-issue of a compressor-style dive watch it produced in 1960, here with a case made of bronze, a metal historically used in maritime equipment due to i...

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T Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre

Rolex Aug 24, 2023

Rolex Daytona: A Comprehensive Guide to the Iconic Racing Chronograph

The Rolex Daytona is today one of the most coveted and collectible luxury watches in the world, and indisputably a legend among racing-inspired chronograph wristwatches. But it was far from an overnight success. Read on to discover how the Rolex Daytona went from languishing on retailers’ shelves in the early 1960s to inspiring years-long waiting lists and stratospheric auction prices in the 21st Century, and how some racetrack cred and Hollywood star power lent a hand along the way. Since its founding in 1905, Rolex has grown to become the world’s undisputed king of luxury sport watches and one of the most influential innovators in watchmaking history. Rolex inventions like the waterproof Oyster case, the self-winding Perpetual movement, and the user-friendly magnifying Cyclops lens have had widespread influence in the watch industry, and iconic watch models like the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master have become the standards against which others in their category are measured. All that said, Rolex was relatively late to the game when it comes to one of the most popular sport-watch fields: the chronograph. By the early 1950s, the decade in which all three of the aforementioned Rolex models debuted, competitors like Breitling, Longines, and Heuer (today’s TAG Heuer), all of whom had established themselves as specialists in chronographs since before the 20th Century, were dominant in the space. Rolex had dabbled with chronograph models intermittently since 1937, b...

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Hodinkee

Audemars Piguet Aug 23, 2023

Pre-Owned Picks: A Rolex Submariner ‘Kermit,’ A Blue Dial Omega Seamaster 300, And A Classique Move From Audemars Piguet

Plus a Master Collection model that highlights the best of Longines alongside a deeply limited Japanese-market Zenith El Primero.

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SJX Watches

Vacheron Constantin Cartier Jan 29, 2023

Jaeger-LeCoultre Begins Selling Vintage Watches

Buying a vintage watch can be daunting, especially for the beginner. Some watch brands offer a solution: restoring and selling their own vintage watches. The latest to enter this area is Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC). As part of its 190th anniversary debuts, JLC announces The Collectibles, a curated selection of vintage timepieces that have been restored by its watchmakers and certified by the brand. It offers enthusiasts the opportunity to own vetted examples of iconic vintage models like the Reverso.  A Shark Deep Sea chronograph from 1959 Initial thoughts As a collector of vintage watches, such programmes are a welcome development. I like it when brands take steps to preserve their heritage with such vintage offerings, though it was a surprise when JLC announced this. When it comes to vintage watches, JLC has always been under the radar, so its vintage watches have never quite enjoyed the levels of hype enjoyed by its peers. With The Collectibles, JLC seems to be trying to change that. Granted, this concept has been done before by brands like Vacheron Constantin, Cartier, and Longines. Still, it will be interesting to see if and how The Collectibles develops the market for vintage JLC watches. A 1946 triple calendar in steel Admittedly, such factory-vetted timepieces are priced at a (steep) premium, but they come with a peace of mind, especially since scholarship about the brand is relatively nascent (perhaps in part due to the relative affordability of vintage JLC). On t...

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T Time+Tide

Time+Tide

Glashütte Original Aug 30, 2022

The new Breguet Classique 7337 and Classique Dame watches

The Swatch Group is full of top-notch brands: Omega, Longines, Blancpain, Glashütte Original and more. But arguably the brand under their umbrella with the most grace and gravitas is Breguet. With an unapologetically classic, time-capsule aesthetic, truly engined-turned dials, and handsome calibres, Breguet’s Classique collection is a must visit in the metal at your local … ContinuedThe post The new Breguet Classique 7337 and Classique Dame watches appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Patek Philippe ref 2481 Jan 21, 2022

Obituary: Giovanni Zavota, Vintage Watch Dealer (1952-2022)

A distinctive gentleman whose trademark outfit always called for multiple scarves looped around his neck, Giovanni Zavota was one of the old-school Italian dealers who shaped vintage watch collecting of the late 20th century, having sold some of the most important wristwatches – amongst them a steel ref. 1518 and the platinum ref. 2499. He passed away on 15 January, aged 69. I would see him each time I went to Geneva for the auctions and he was clearly an original character. He was most comfortable conversing in Italian, which I speak none of, so we only spoke briefly a few times. But one occasion that stands out in my memory is when I encountered him in Italy and he was wearing a Patek Philippe ref. 2481 with a cloisonné dial – and a matching bracelet – on one wrist, and on the other he had on a crisp and enormous Longines Lindbergh. Two watches of different style and disparate value, yet each interesting and important in its own way – a sure sign the man had good taste and understood historical significance. Giovanni Zavota. Photo – Auro Montanari A testament to his place in the world of vintage watches – specifically the pre-internet world – was the turnout at his funeral, which took place on January 18 in Collecchio, a small town just south of Parma where he had spent his summers as a boy. Almost a hundred people turned up, including family and old friends, but also a large contingent that exemplified the Italian-centric, late-20th century world of vinta...

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Patek Philippe Calatrava ref 96 while Oct 4, 2021

T3 Special Watches Introduces the Dague

Founded by a pair of Italian watch collectors, one of whom is vintage-watch dealer Andrea Marzari, T3 Special Watches is a young and unusual brand. T3 originated in the pair’s other hobby – both are motorcycle enthusiasts. They attempted to create a watch suited for long rides, but that ultimately proved fruitless. Instead, the two pivoted and conceived a vintage-inspired watch with an original design, and powered by a refinished Longines pocket watch movement from the early 2oth century, the Dague. The motivation behind the watch was simple – they wanted a watch that appealed to their taste in both design and mechanics, while being stylish and robust enough for everyday wear. After a year of riding their motorcycles with the prototypes, the duo debuted the first-generation Dague in 2018. Now the model has been refreshed with lacquer dials in eight vibrant colours ranging from turquoise to orange. Think of it as “Stella” dial meets a Patek Philippe Calatrava ref. 96, while powered by a vintage pocket watch movement. In lightweight titanium Initial thoughts The Dague is unusual for its mix of modern and vintage features. And it is not just vintage inspired – the movements are bona fide antiques, being based on Longines calibres from the 1920s and 1930s that were originally made for pocket watches. The use of vintage movements sets T3 apart from most micro-brands that rely on modern movements from makers such as ETA. That said, the use of refurbished vintage...

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T Time+Tide

Time+Tide

Grand Seiko ContinuedThe post FRIDAY Apr 22, 2021

FRIDAY WIND DOWN – THE GREEN EDITION #2: We did a list of (almost) all of the green watches of 2021

If you hate the colour green, it’s probably time to find another hobby. Almost every single major watch brand on the planet has released a watch with a green dial since the start of the year. It seems that the seeds that were sown in 2020 with watches like the Longines HydroConquest Khaki Green, Grand Seiko … ContinuedThe post FRIDAY WIND DOWN – THE GREEN EDITION #2: We did a list of (almost) all of the green watches of 2021 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Louis Erard Unveils Mar 4, 2021

Louis Erard Unveils an Affordable ‘Grand Feu’ Enamel Time-Only

Best known recently for its collaborations with independent watchmakers – the Le Régulateur Vianney Halter sold out in a matter of hours – Louis Erard has been gaining recognition for making the style of high-end watchmaking affordable. Continuing with that focus, the brand has just announced the Excellence Email Grand Feu, a time-only wristwatch with a traditional enamel dial in a striking ivory hue. The grand feu, or fired-in-an-oven, enamel dial is fairly difficult to manufacture, resulting in a rejection rate that’s often over half. As a result, such dials are usually only found in high-end watches. It’s Louis Erard’s first use of a fired enamel dial, but true to form, the brand has retained its usual pricing positioning with a retail price of under 4,000 Swiss francs. Initial thoughts Given the frequent enthusiast gripe that watch prices (or values) border on the absurd, it would seem that true value propositions are hard to come by. There are a few exceptions – Tudor, Longines, and a few independents for instance – with Louis Erard increasingly being one of them. The brand offers an honest product, often with one or two elements historically found only in haute horlogerie, for not so much money. The Excellence Email Grand Feu is exactly that. And the dial is particularly appealing in ivory, instead of the usual bright white that is the favoured colour for fired enamel. Notably, the dial is made by Donzé Cadrans, the well-known enamel dial maker ...

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Patek Philippe ref 5004R Dec 25, 2020

Year in Review: Our Best Stories of 2020

As the year winds down, I’d like to thank everyone for reading. And I want to revisit a few of the best stories of the year – if you haven’t read them, they are worth a look. These are not the most-read stories, which are inevitably concerned with watches from the biggest brands. Rather, the best stories are of the sort that I myself appreciate: an in-depth look at topics that might be unexpected or intriguing. I loved these articles and trust you will too. Watchmaking Although time has flowed in the same manner since the start of the universe, mankind’s perception and use of draft has evolved, most drastically during the Industrial Revolution, when time came to govern all aspects of life, a phenomenon explained by Alvin Chong. Time, as it happens, has been crucial to medical care for over four millennia, as Dr Andrew Hantel explained in his history of the pulsations chronograph, starting with Louis Moinet’s invention of the stopwatch until the modern-day smartwatch. Continuing with the chronograph, but now rewriting its history: Dr Christian Müller documented the first flyback-chronograph wristwatch, a 1929 Longines that he owns, which also happens to be the first-ever two-button wristwatch chronograph. A Patek Philippe ref. 5004R with a special-order pulsations dial; the first photo shows its movement And then there was also the end of history in a sense: Alan Downing told the story of how the observatory chronometer trial, revived in 2009 as the Concours In...

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Vacheron Constantin Oct 22, 2020

Fugue Introduces the Fiction One

Founded just three years ago, Fugue got its start with a watch featuring a modular case with interchangeable lugs. The brand’s second model is altogether more interesting, the Fiction One. Powered by an automatic Sellita movement, the Fiction One has an intriguing mystery dial – the hands appear to be floating over its surface with no connection to the central axis. Available for pre-order on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter until end October, the Fiction One is available in two dial variations, white and smoked grey. And it is affordable, with a price of €350, or about US$420. [Update December 10, 2020: The original Kickstarter campaign for the watch did not meet its target, but Fugue is doing it a second time, offering the watch at a slightly lower price, as well as a smaller minimum quantity. The new campaign closes January 8, 2021.] Initial thoughts “Microbrands” tend to capitalise on designs that are the flavour of the day, reusing classic sports-watch designs for affordable watches. So amidst its crowdfunded peers, the Fiction One is refreshing. That said, the mystery time display is an old invention, dating to early 19th century when it was invented by French magician Jean-Eugène Robert Houdin.And in the mid 20th century, the Galaxy watch with mystery hands was produced by several brands, most notably LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin, and Longines. Fugue takes inspiration from those wristwatches, successfully reinterpreting the idea to create something mod...

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Patek Philippe Chanel Chopard May 22, 2020

Business News: Baselworld to be Replaced by Swiss Watch Week

With Baselworld all but finished in name – with the COVID-19 pandemic having served as the catalyst for its demise – its organiser has already lined up a potential replacement, according to Swiss newspaper Handelzeitung. Events company MCH Group, which owns Baselworld and Art Basel, registered the trademark “Swiss Watch Week” in late January 2020, perhaps an indication its management already knew that Baselworld was untenable. Departing Basel, the city that the namesake watch fair had called home for decades is seen as crucial to escape the baggage and bad publicity that has dogged Baselworld. A good part of the criticism levelled at the fair concerns the opportunistic pricing imposed by restaurants, hotels, and other accommodation during the fair. The result was a slow burn that culminated in the end of Baselworld. A scene never to be seen again – the halls of Messe Basel packed with watch brands. Photo – Baselworld Once the world’s largest watch and jewellery fair, Baselworld was hit by a gradually accelerating string of departures, starting in 2018 with industry giant Swatch Group – owner of brands like Omega, Longines, and Tissot – citing the exorbitant cost of exhibiting and other city-related expenses. Swatch was followed by Seiko and others in 2019. But the fatal blow arrived in April 2020, when the fair’s biggest exhibitors – Rolex, Patek Philippe, Chanel, Chopard, and Tudor – pulled out and announced a move to a new, yet-to-be-named fair in...

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Montblanc Jan 9, 2020

Up Close: H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Flyback Chronograph

Luxury sports watches are a fad that numerous watchmakers are trying their hands at – with varying degrees of success. H. Moser & Cie. is the latest brand to try its hand at a sports watch. While the fact is not a surprise, since the company has been dropping hints about it for over a year, the product is unexpectedly well executed and different. Limited to 100 pieces but with future variants in the works, the Streamliner Flyback Chronograph is a “bull’s head” chronograph with the buttons at two and ten o’clock and a “racing” style dial. The Streamliner is characterised by an unusual cushion-shaped case and integrated bracelet, creating a design that brings to mind watches of the 1970s and 1980s, but still manages to be novel in the crowded luxury sports watch segment. Importantly, Moser also got the functional aspects of the watch right: the case is water-resistant to 120m, and the chronograph pushers can be operated underwater to the same depth. The Streamliner on the wrist of Moser CEO Edouard Meylan Fond memories Designed by Marcus Eilinger, a freelance designer whose recent work includes watches for IWC, Montblanc and Huawei, the Streamliner brings to mind interesting, maybe even great, watches of the past that are now forgotten, so it looks fresh. Edouard Meylan (left) with designer Marcus Eilinger. Photo – H. Moser & Cie. While Streamliner’s case is reminiscent of chunky 1970s chronographs made by the likes of Omega, Heuer, and Longines, the integ...

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H. Moser & Cie Introduces Dec 2, 2019

H. Moser & Cie. Introduces the Heritage Centre Seconds Funky Blue

A year ago, H. Moser & Cie. debuted the Heritage Pilot’s Watch, a retro, aviation-inspired watch with grey fumé dial for Swiss retailer Bucherer that was then a one-off unlike anything else in the brand’s line-up. Now the watch has officially joined the collection as the Heritage Centre Seconds Funky Blue, positioned as an entry-level model priced under US$14,000. The watch has a familiar design, for good reason: it’s modelled on early pilot’s watches from the 1920s that were produced by a host of brands including Longines and Zenith, and also Heinrich Moser, the predecessor of H. Moser & Cie. At the same time, according to Moser chief executive Edouard Meylan, the Heritage watch takes some inspiration from early 20th century wristwatches that were converted pocket watches with wire lugs soldered on for wear on the wrist. While the Heritage measures 42mm in diameter like a majority of Moser’s watches, it is just 11.1mm high, making it one of the brand’s slimmest models. Its stainless-steel case features an onion-shaped crown and thin lugs to mimic wire lugs. The case is largely polished, punctuated with fine, vertical fluting on its flanks, a detail taken from another watch in the Moser line-up, the Pioneer. The dial is a dark, metallic blue finished with sunburst brushing and the brand’s signature fumé treatment that gradually darkens towards the edges. But the most distinctive feature are the large Arabic numerals – modelled on the painted radium ...

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