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Worn & Wound
Urwerk Nov 8, 2024

Roundup: The Panels of Windup Watch Fair NYC 2024

As has become the tradition, we always record the panels that occur throughout each of the Windup Watch Fairs. This fantastic, original content is great to revisit for those who had the chance to be there, and is now available to everyone who didn’t have the opportunity to be there in person. These panels are free to attend at the time of their recording, so in the spirit of Windup-an event that puts an emphasis on approachability-it’s only fitting that the content from the show is freely shared as well. We present it here in this roundup in the order that they happened at the fair, starting on Friday and on through Sunday! Diving into the New Oris Divers Date We’re honored that Oris chose to debut its new Divers Date at Windup this year. Worn & Wound’s Managing Editor, Zach Kazan, was joined by Oris Co-CEO Rolf Studer to discuss the significance of this global launch. ______________________________________________________ Openwork Podcast Live: Elements of Design We recorded a joint podcast between the Worn & Wound team and our friend at Collective Horology. Our special guests, Martin Frei of URWERK and Jonathan Ferrer of Brew Watch Co., discussed their particular approaches to designs of their watches.  ______________________________________________________ 65 Years of Squale Worn & Wound contributor Griffin Bartsch was joined on stage by Andrea Maggi, CEO of Squale, with special guest: TGV, founder of The Urban Gentry. Together, they discussed the illustrio...

First Look – The new Black/Platinum Breguet Marine Tourbillon Equation Marchante 5887 Monochrome
Breguet Marine Tourbillon Equation Marchante Nov 7, 2024

First Look – The new Black/Platinum Breguet Marine Tourbillon Equation Marchante 5887

First presented in 2017, the Marine Tourbillon Equation Marchante 5887 came as a surprise, initiating an unprecedented design for the collection. This highly complex Breguet watch, first available in a platinum case with a blue dial, actually teased the complete revamp of the collection that occurred a year later. Three years later for the 220th […]

Hands-On: the Fears Brunswick 40.5 Jump Hour Worn & Wound
Christopher Ward who developed their in-house Nov 6, 2024

Hands-On: the Fears Brunswick 40.5 Jump Hour

The jump hour is a nearly criminally underrepresented type of watch. These semi-digital mechanical devices simplify time telling through more complex movements, a perfect example of watchmaking’s inherent and lovable absurdity. Their unique displays create different layout challenges, leading to unique and fantastic designs, from the sci-fi Space One to the extravagant A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk. As such, a new jump hour is always cause for celebration and temptation. However, the challenge for brands that want to enter the jumping game is a lack of readily available movements and modules. So, what’s a brand to do? For Fears, this is where the power of collaboration comes into play. By teaming up with the industrious Christopher Ward, who developed their in-house jump hour module, the JJ001, back in 2010-11, Fears could access an already proven but exclusive solution. In 2023, they debuted their jump hour as the highly limited Alliance 1 for members of the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers, and in 2024, their follow-up mainline version, the Fears Brunswick 40.5 Jump Hour, which we reported on here. I’m all for watches that provide different and uncommon experiences, whether it be the smooth glide and accuracy of a Spring Drive, the hourly dinging of the Bel Canto, the central minute counter of a Lemania 5100, or the decentralized displays of a regulator. Jump hours stand out even among that crowd by fundamentally changing how time is read. Though most akin t...

Introducing Mainspring London To The Windup Watch Shop Worn & Wound
Nov 6, 2024

Introducing Mainspring London To The Windup Watch Shop

Named for the spring at the heart of a mechanical watch movement, Mainspring London offers high-quality storage, winders, and accessories for watch collectors. With inspirations ranging from motorsports to the walled gardens and storied quadrangles of Oxford, Mainspring London’s collections are designed to seamlessly – and with impeccable style - integrate your treasured collection into your home. Who said your collection storage couldn’t look as good as the pieces in it?   To welcome Mainspring London to the Windup Watch Shop, we are starting with three pieces: the Technospeed 3-Slot Travel Watch Box, Monte Carlo 5-Slot Watch Box, and Guardian Single- and Dual-Slot Winder. The post Introducing Mainspring London To The Windup Watch Shop appeared first on Worn & Wound.

Hands On: Urban Jürgensen and Derek Pratt Oval Pocket Watch SJX Watches
Urban Jürgensen Nov 6, 2024

Hands On: Urban Jürgensen and Derek Pratt Oval Pocket Watch

A storied example of artisanal independent watchmaking, The Oval was the masterpiece by Derek Pratt (1938-2009), perhaps the greatest unknown watchmaker. Pratt began work on the Oval in 1982 as his magnum opus, the ultimate realisation of his aesthetic and technical vision. While his work for Urban Jürgensen is perhaps his best known, Pratt was an independent watchmaker with a diverse repertoire, including working with George Daniels on the co-axial escapement. Amongst his creations was a replica of John Harrison’s H4 marine chronometer. These projects, as well as the fact that the Oval was mostly hand made, meant the pocket watch took some two decades to complete. Although it’s a sizeable watch, the Oval is finely detailed, reflecting the high level of Pratt’s craft and the years he invested in creating the watch from scratch. Beyond its artisanal execution, the Oval also stands out for its technical achievement. Besides a detent escapement, the Oval also contains a horological first – a constant force mechanism integrated within the tourbillon – along with a thermometer, power reserve display, and moon phase on the dial. We took an in-depth look at the Oval in 2021, thanks to its current owner, Dr Helmut Crott. But now as the Oval heads to the auction block at Phillips, it’s worth one last look before it disappears into a collection. A two-decade odyssey A contemporary and friend of George Daniels (1926-2011), Pratt was one of the most talented horologists o...

Introducing – The Full-Gold AP Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Monochrome
Audemars Piguet remains truly impressive Nov 6, 2024

Introducing – The Full-Gold AP Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin

We’ve talked about the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin on multiple occasions already, and for obvious reasons. When first presented as a prototype watch named RD#2, it was the world’s thinnest perpetual calendar wristwatch, with an impressive 6.2mm thickness. Despite Bulgari re-gaining the title a year later, this Audemars Piguet remains truly impressive and is […]

From the Grönefeld Brothers, a New Brand, GRØNE, and an Affordable New Watch, the Manueel One Worn & Wound
Kurono Tokyo Nov 5, 2024

From the Grönefeld Brothers, a New Brand, GRØNE, and an Affordable New Watch, the Manueel One

A new brand is the talk of the watch world today, and the latest example of a trend we’ve seen developing over the last several years. GRØNE is the new project from Bart and Tim Grönefeld, the brothers behind the Grönefeld brand, one of the most acclaimed indies in the world. Following in the footsteps of the M.A.D. 1 project, Kurono Tokyo, and others, the brand exists as a way for admirers of a high priced independent maker to buy into the aesthetic and perspective of the brand at a much more affordable price point. The first release from GRØNE, the Manueel One, carries a retail price of just 2,150 Euros. At retail, Grönefeld watches start at around 50,000 Euros and go up from there. They are also very low production, with fewer than 100 pieces made each year.  The Manueel One, according to Bart and Tim, was inspired by a desire to bring their watches to “our our watchmakers, our children, and our friends.” If this sentiment sounds familiar, it’s nearly identical to Max Büsser’s reasoning behind the M.A.D. 1 project, which was initially only offered to friends of the brand, including partners that Max and his team had worked with for years. Like the M.A.D. 1, the Manueel One borrows some aesthetic and design principles from the higher priced watches the brand is known for, but it does so without the serious attention to craft and watchmaking you’d get with an atelier made timepiece. That’s to be expected, of course. Anyone thinking that an order for t...

Ulysse Nardin Unveils Freak X with Grand Feu Enamel Dial SJX Watches
Ulysse Nardin Unveils Freak X Nov 5, 2024

Ulysse Nardin Unveils Freak X with Grand Feu Enamel Dial

Ulysse Nardin’s entry-level Freak has been dressed up with a flinque enamel dial in a limited edition for Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, the Middle East’s most prominent luxury watch retailer. The Freak X Enamel Seddiqi features a “Yas Blue” guilloché enamel dial with the signature carousel carrying an oversized oscillator and silicon escapement that acts as a minute hand. Initial thoughts The Freak X is a descendent of the original Freak, but simplified for user-friendliness and affordability. The Seddiqi edition combines the appeal of the Freak X with an artisan ally decorated dial – a combination of contrasts that are complementary. While the enamel might seem contrary to the high-tech nature of the Freak X, it complements the aesthetics of the watch. The striking, translucent enamel forms a pleasing backdrop for the carousel. Priced at AED154,000 or around US$42,000, the Freak X Enamel Seddiqi is a little more expensive than the base model Freak X, but still amongst the most affordable Freak models. Inversed calibre In 2001, Ulysse Nardin revolutionised watchmaking the Freak, a watch that reimagined the conventions of movement construction with an unprecedented design that relocated the going train and oscillator to double as the minute hand. And the watch was the first-ever application of silicon in watchmaking. The Freak X has the trademark carousel minute hand, but features a convenient automatic movement and crown, eliminating the need to wind the watch every f...

Hands-on – The Favre Leuba Sea Sky Revival is (almost) the Real Vintage Deal Monochrome
Favre Leuba Sea Sky Revival Nov 4, 2024

Hands-on – The Favre Leuba Sea Sky Revival is (almost) the Real Vintage Deal

It might come as a surprise to learn that Favre Leuba is the world’s second-oldest watch company. Founded in 1737 by Abraham Favre in Le Locle, the brand reached a high point in the mid-1960s with its rugged purpose-designed tool watches. Now in the hands of industry veteran Patrik Hoffmann, his “revival and renaissance” strategy […]

Biver Reveals Unique Automatique for Charity SJX Watches
Nov 4, 2024

Biver Reveals Unique Automatique for Charity

Although it’s been less than two years since its founding, Biver has already launched its second model, the Automatique. Using that as the base, the brand created the Automatique “Echoes of this Moment”, a unique piece crafted in collaboration with a Swiss artist for TimeForArt, a charity auction taking place in November to benefit the Swiss Institute, a nonprofit focused on contemporary art education. Initial thoughts The standard Automatique is undeniably a finely executed watch, especially the micro-rotor automatic calibre within. Although the aesthetics of the regular-production model aren’t perfectly cohesive, the exquisite quality of the movement and attention to detail make it one of the most interesting new time-only creations from an independent. This unique piece improves the aesthetics of the Automatique because it simplifies the design. The standard version has an elaborately finished dial that combines too many elements – faceted indices, brushed sectors, an engraved seconds track, and sharp polished hands. In contrast, the unique Automatique keeps the look simple, while still having a complex, artisanal dial decoration. Here the handmade dial – that’s both engraved and enamelled – can be admired for what it is, with no distractions. An artful dial The New York-based Swiss Institute was set up to promote contemporary art through events and exhibitions. Now in its second edition, TimeForArt was conceived to benefit the non-profit. Biver is one o...

TAG Heuer Introduces a Commemorative Carrera Tourbillon in Tribute to Ayrton Senna Worn & Wound
TAG Heuer Introduces Nov 1, 2024

TAG Heuer Introduces a Commemorative Carrera Tourbillon in Tribute to Ayrton Senna

TAG Heuer is introducing a third generation of the Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon in collaboration with the Senna brand, a commemorative company dedicated to the late Ayrton Senna’s legendary career as three time Grand Prix world champion. Senna’s racing legacy is intertwined with the watch world and has always conjured images of the TAG Heuer 6000 Senna Limited Edition in the minds of collectors. This was the very first watch that Ayrton produced together with TAG Heuer, and he was still with us at the beginning of its conception to have a say in its design.  In 2018 TAG Heuer released the first Carrera chronograph tourbillon editions, followed by another iteration in 2019. While many of us are quite fond of the original designs that feature a very distinct era specific aesthetic, such as small case sizes with heavily rounded edges, these new models are extremely modern in contrast. Launching today is the reference CBU5081.FT6274 – a serious chronograph watch with a grade 2 titanium case, ceramic tachymeter bezel that can measure up to 400 kmh, and a display of TAG Heuer watchmaking prowess in the form of a tourbillon at 6 o’clock. It doesn’t get much more contemporary sporty than a watch like this, using cutting edge materials and high horology watchmaking techniques such as its fully skeletonized dial and the tourbillon itself.  The yellow, blue, and green accents each have their spot around the dial of the watch, aiding in reading the elapsed time of the ch...

Hands-On with the New Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Classic Worn & Wound
Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Classic Oct 31, 2024

Hands-On with the New Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Classic

Over the course of two years, the Bel Canto has fundamentally changed the way many watch lovers view Christopher Ward. This has been discussed in depth here and elsewhere, and is without a doubt one of the biggest stories in the watch world in the last decade or so. It’s changed the brand itself in a meaningful way as well. To meet demand since the launch of the Bel Canto, Christopher Ward has increased production of the watch from 50 pieces per month to 500, and there’s still a months long wait. That means that we haven’t seen Christopher Ward operate from the usual playbook when a brand has a hit new release. There have been vanishingly few limited editions and collaborative versions of the Bel Canto, with the brand instead electing to concentrate on fulfilling a backlog of orders. That’s admirable, in my opinion, but it means we haven’t seen much in the way of refinements or updates to the core Bel Canto design. And that’s perfectly fine. The Bel Canto is still very much a new watch in the grand scheme of watch history, and certainly doesn’t need an update.  Today, though, marks a new chapter in the short history of the Bel Canto with the launch of the new C1 Bel Canto Classic. This is the first serious adjustment to the look and feel of the Bel Canto since the watch debuted in the fall of 2022. The changes are (mostly) pretty subtle, but it offers a small glimpse of how the watch might continue to be refined in the future.  The most obvious change in th...

Piaget Introduces the Andy Warhol Clou de Paris SJX Watches
Piaget Introduces Oct 31, 2024

Piaget Introduces the Andy Warhol Clou de Paris

Elegant and distinctly 1970s in style, the Piaget Andy Warhol Clou de Paris is modelled on an oversized quartz wristwatch once owned by Andy Warhol. Originally known as the Black Tie Vintage Inspiration, the model has now been renamed thanks to Piaget’s recently inked partnership with The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, making it the first timepiece bearing the name of the American artist. Part of Piaget’s catalogue for a decade, the new Andy Warhol wristwatch gains a reworked bezel decorated with Clou de Paris, replacing the stepped bezel on the preceding version. The latest iteration sports a blue meteorite dial, but the model can be customised via Piaget’s “Made to Order” programme that includes a variety of mineral stone dials as well as dial and case options. The original version with a stepped bezel, here with a malachite dial Initial thoughts Andy Warhol was a watch collector who own over 300 timepieces – all of which were sold at Sotheby’s after his death – including seven by Piaget. One of them as a chunky yellow gold watch with powered by the Beta 21, a pioneering Swiss quartz movement. Piaget is making the most of this association by renaming the Black Tie model and expanding the options offered to clients. Piaget does several things well, including ingenious, record-setting ultra-thin movements, but it really excels at elegant, retro dress watches like the Andy Warhol. While the original Black Tie model was essentially a remake of th...

Tudor Announces the FXD “Zulu Time,” the First Pelagos with a GMT Complication Worn & Wound
Tudor Announces Oct 30, 2024

Tudor Announces the FXD “Zulu Time,” the First Pelagos with a GMT Complication

Sooner or later, you just knew it was going to happen. For as long as there’s been a Pelagos, and as long as there’s been a Tudor GMT movement, and as long as there’s been a human impulse to speculate, there’s been a call for the Swiss brand to release a Pelagos with the ability to track multiple time zones. It just makes sense for the brand’s most tool-forward dive watch: GMTs are what the people want and it’s an undeniably useful feature. And so, like an infinite number of chimpanzees at an infinite number of typewriters are certain to eventually produce the works of Shakespeare, now Tudor has finally issued a diver with all the features their loyal fans have been asking for. Titanium case: check. GMT movement with chronometer certification: check. Rotating 24 hour bezel: check. Spring bars: hey, no one has it all.  The all new Pelagos FXD GMT “Zulu Time” might feel like an inevitability on the one hand, but on the other it still has a fascinating mix of little quirks that are capable of surprising even the most loyal Tudor fans (and speculators). Like the very first Pelagos FXD, this one is presented under a partnership with the French military. Specifically, the Zulu Time has been developed with the needs of the Aéronautique Navale (French Naval Aviation) in mind, and according to the brand the watch has been designed for the “adverse real-world conditions” faced by their personnel. For the original FXD, that meant a bi-directional bezel set up in...

Universal Genève Returns with Gregory Bruttin at the Helm SJX Watches
Roger Dubuis who was Oct 30, 2024

Universal Genève Returns with Gregory Bruttin at the Helm

Having been acquired last year by Breitling’s private equity owners, Universal Genève is now officially back in business with both a new chief as well as website – though the new watches will only arrive in autumn 2026. Breitling chief executive Georges Kern takes the same role at Universal, but the managing director will be Gregory Bruttin, a two-decade veteran of Roger Dubuis who was its longtime head of product. An engineer and constructor by training, Mr Bruttin will oversee the development of Universal’s new collection of watches. A once-storied brand founded in 1894, Universal has been dormant for a decade or more. While its historical timepieces like the Tri-Compax and A. Cairelli split-seconds are desirable, the brand has not launched a hit product in a long time. The Tri-Compax Mr Bruttin has no doubt been tasked to fix that. His technical credentials are impeccable – he led the creation of an impressive stable of in-house movements at Roger Dubuis, though his past work was far from the heritage-focused brand that Universal will be. While challenging, Mr Bruttin’s job will be made easier by the fact that Breitling has its own manufacture and corresponding in-house chronograph calibres. The 1950s split-seconds chronograph made for the Italian air force While the launch of the rebooted brand’s first collection is still two years away, Universal is embarking on an immediate plan of brand building. In November the brand will mark the 70th anniversary of t...

Rolex Yacht-Master & Yacht-Master II: The Comprehensive Guide to the K Teddy Baldassarre
Rolex Oct 29, 2024

Rolex Yacht-Master & Yacht-Master II: The Comprehensive Guide to the K

The Rolex Yacht-Master occupies a prominent but, for many, difficult-to-define area within the company’s overall portfolio. It’s regarded as a popular dress watch but is firmly positioned within the “Professional” collection. It looks a lot like a Submariner but isn’t really a dive watch, so it’s really not like a Submariner at all. It’s designed as a men’s watch but has become a canvas for some very feminine executions. And unlike other Rolex models that offer an original “I” and a second-generation “II” version, like the GMT-Master and Explorer, the Yacht-Master I and II are scarcely related in their design or functions at all. And yet, the Yacht-Master remains a top-tier timepiece both for Rolex and its legions of fans, and in its relatively short span on the market has welcomed a number of innovative materials and technologies into the Rolex fold. Read on to discover more about the Rolex Yacht-Master (in all its various versions) and what makes the model unique among its Oyster Perpetual brethren. 1967 - 1969 - The Prototype: Cosmograph Yacht-Master Rolex Cosmograph Yacht-Master, circa 1967 (photo: Rolex Magazine.com) While the Yacht-Master as we know it today traces its genesis only to 1992, the name appeared on a Rolex dial several decades before - on a watch that resembled more an evolution of the Daytona than of the Submariner - indicating that a sailing-themed watch was something that Rolex had been tinkering with as an organization for...

Zenith Chronomaster Revival Shadow Review Teddy Baldassarre
Zenith Oct 28, 2024

Zenith Chronomaster Revival Shadow Review

There are some watches that kind of stay with you. They may not be in your wheelhouse as far as taste is concerned (or at least what you think your taste is), but something about them just resonates. This is how I feel, and have felt, about the Zenith Chronomaster Revival Shadow, a watch that has been in production for some time, one that I have reviewed in the past, and one that I still do not own but which continues to take up valuable real estate in my brain.  The version of the watch that I got turned onto was the only one available until recently - a blasted-finish, black-coated titanium chronograph in the retro A384 case format that plays on the past but brings a decidedly modern design sensibility to the overall package. The dial is a matte, flat black and the text on it is well thought-out in terms of the vintage effect, down to the printing of the logos and numerals. It’s as if you’re looking at a museum artifact, except that it's packed with one of the best modern automatic chronograph movements in the game, Zenith's own El Primero, and at 37mm it fits perfectly on my 6.25-inch wrist. If you have been paying attention to Zenith over the past half-decade or so, you are sure to notice that the brand has done quite a job in balancing vintage revivals with innovative new releases. It’s the only brand I know that revives a watch and keeps everything true to form down to the clasp on a bracelet. I recall handling another Shadow model – the Defy Shadow ...

Awake Gives Us a Lesson in Creating Watches for Future Generations Worn & Wound
Oct 28, 2024

Awake Gives Us a Lesson in Creating Watches for Future Generations

The concept of a “mid-life crisis” has long had a negative connotation thanks to the word “crisis” implying a moment of difficulty, but I’d suggest we rethink this as a mid-life turning point. For Lilian Thibault, founder of Awake, this moment came when he reached a certain age and his kids began to grow. He took the opportunity to turn a mid-life crisis into a mid-life reinvention. After years of investing in other successful businesses, he decided to invest in himself and his own passions. Lilian had been an avid watch collector for more than two decades, and in 2018 he set out to create his own brand-Awake was born. “As my kids are growing older, I’ve started to think more and more about the legacy that will be left behind for them,” Lilian told me. “I decided I wanted to bring my own brand to market that reflects the vision I would like to see in the world for the next generation. This is, in fact, why I chose the name ‘Awake,’ I have a mission to awaken people’s attention to beauty and what really matters in life.” Lilian Thibault To bring his vision to life, Lilian launched a Kickstarter to raise funds for production in 2018. The campaign was originally planned to run for a month, but the brand reached its goal of $30,000 within an hour and ended up raising $400,000-Lilian was clearly onto something, and his vision was resonating. A year later, the brand unveiled its first collection aptly named “Origins.” In the spirit of thinking a...

Recapping the Tudor x Worn & Wound Windup Watch Fair NYC Kick-off Event Worn & Wound
Tudor x Worn & Wound Oct 25, 2024

Recapping the Tudor x Worn & Wound Windup Watch Fair NYC Kick-off Event

Just dip into the Worn & Wound YouTube channel search for Tudor. Whether it’s ongoing interest in our hands-on videos with their watches or the popularity of our Thunderdome series, it’s clear that Tudor is an extremely important brand to our enthusiast audience. So when they offered their Tudor Boutique within the Tourneau space in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan as a venue for the kick off event of the Windup Watch Fair NYC weekend, we were both honored and excited. The Thursday before any Windup weekend is filled with anticipation that you can genuinely feel. Fairgoers seem to be gearing up for either battle, a concert by their favorite band, or a little of both. The Tudor Boutique was a perfect place to both harness that energy and build on it for the rest of the long weekend. Their boutique is designed to be a part showroom and part gathering space for the Tudor-curious. Last Thursday night, it was filled to capacity with fans of both the Worn & Wound and Tudor brands. This was most evident in the sheer amount of interesting and unique Tudor watches on the wrists of multiple attendees! Attendees were greeted with a signature cocktail called the “METAS Manhattan,” referring of course to the Master Chronometer certification. A comprehensive standard that covers the main functional characteristics of a watch including: precision, resistance to magnetic fields, waterproofness and power reserve. Watches like Tudor’s Black Bay Ceramic, the Black Bay, and the...

Introducing: The Spinnaker Fleuss 40 Automatic Seconde/Seconde/ For Halloween 2024 Fratello
Christopher Ward Desk Diver Oct 25, 2024

Introducing: The Spinnaker Fleuss 40 Automatic Seconde/Seconde/ For Halloween 2024

Romaric André, aka seconde/seconde/, is a busy man these days. I have barely recovered from the Christopher Ward Desk Diver, and now he is back with a collab with Spinnaker. It goes to show that the often snobby watch world is looking for some lighthearted fun. Well, lighthearted fun is what we get today! This […] Visit Introducing: The Spinnaker Fleuss 40 Automatic Seconde/Seconde/ For Halloween 2024 to read the full article.

The Strangest Seiko Dive Watches in Years Worn & Wound
Seiko Dive Watches Oct 24, 2024

The Strangest Seiko Dive Watches in Years

There was a time not too long ago when the new watches that Seiko debuted this week would have broken the internet. The new SPB481, SPB483 and SPB485 are, plain and simple, some of the strangest releases we’ve seen from Seiko in quite some time. It used to be that even a middling release from the brand, particularly if it was in the sports watch category, would generate days worth of discussion and hype on Instagram, forums, and group chats where watches are discussed. But it’s been about three days since these were made public and not only are they not dominating the enthusiast conversation, they’ve been met with what I can only describe as a collective shrug.  You can see in these images why these watches are noteworthy. What we have here are a trio of Seiko divers in the Prospex collection with octagonal bezels in what appears to be an entirely new case design and a radical new bezel profile. The rounded octagonal bezel is matched to a 41.3mm case that comes in at 12.8mm tall and has lines that accentuate flowing curves at every angle. It feels very different for Seiko and kind of makes you see their core designs in a new way, most of which feature much harsher angles and severe geometry that these watches completely lack.  Three variants make up the new range. The SPB481 has a beige dial matched to a glossy black bezel insert, the SPB483 is a blue on blue design, and then there’s the SPB485, which to my eye is the most striking of the group, featuring a brown...