Watch brandsWatch wikiWatch videosVariousWatch calendarSaved articles
PopularRolexOmegaPatek PhilippeAudemars PiguetTudorGrand SeikoCartierSeikoIWCTAG HeuerBreitlingJaeger-LeCoultreA. Lange & SohneZenith

Results for Swiss vs Japanese Watchmaking

4,409 articles · 673 videos found · page 62 of 170

Canadian Watchmaker Bradley Taylor Returns with the Ardea SJX Watches
Omega cal 30T2 architecture Apr 29, 2026

Canadian Watchmaker Bradley Taylor Returns with the Ardea

A Vancouver native who studied watchmaking in Switzerland, Bradley Taylor spent the last four years working on his own movement, an endeavour that is has finally in the Ardea. Manually wound with three hands, the Ardea is powered by a hand-made movement made by Mr Taylor, who incorporated a retrograde seconds, setting this apart from the high-end time-only watches that are now common. Mr Taylor made his debut with time-only watches that were powered by high-quality, but essentially stock, Vaucher movements. The Ardea, in contrast, is of his own making. He fabricated his own movement by building on the vintage Omega cal. 30T2 architecture and then making most of the watch himself, right down to the guilloche dial and solid gold wheels of the gear train. Mr Taylor’s attention to detail extends to surprising aspects of the watch, like the platinum applied numerals in a custom typeface. Initial thoughts The Ardea, and especially its movement, is the product of substantial manual craftsmanship. From milling to filing to drilling to polishing – Mr Taylor does almost all of it himself and has documented the process with many photos and videos. As a result, the Ardea is more artisanal than other recent indie creations that are engineer-conceived timepieces, and Mr Taylor deserves credit. Tapping the main plate Applying guilloche to the dial ring with a hand-cranked rose engine Mr Taylor’s choice of movement construction is not surprising, since the Omega cal. 30T2 architectu...

Introducing: The H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Concept Tantalum Fratello
H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Perpetual Apr 28, 2026

Introducing: The H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Concept Tantalum

H. Moser & Cie. is a brand that I have often come back to. It fascinates me, but I have yet to be lucky enough to handle one of its watches in the metal. This brand, like IWC, is connected to the Swiss town of Schaffhausen. There’s something in the air there. I visited just […] Visit Introducing: The H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Concept Tantalum to read the full article.

Home-Made Grande Sonnerie Wins 2026 F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition SJX Watches
F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition Shin Apr 27, 2026

Home-Made Grande Sonnerie Wins 2026 F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition

Shin Ohno is the winner of the 12th F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition. The young Japanese watchmaker clinched the prize with the Fuyu-Geshiki, a small grande et petite sonnerie tourbillon clock inspired by the winter landscape of Nagano, a northern prefecture of Japan. Made by one man with a watchmaker’s lathe, desktop CNC mill, and not a lot of sleep, the ebony-cased timepiece is one of the most impressive works produced by the competition yet. From Nagano Mr Ohno describes Nagano as “defined by the purity of its air, by the flow of spring water, and by melting snow”. It is also the heart of Japan’s watch industry, boasting the country’s largest movement assembly plant (Citizen’s Saku plant) and is home to Mr Ohno’s employer — Seiko Epson. Specifically, Mr Ohno works as an engineer within the company’s watch division, but it should be noted that this timepiece is entirely unrelated to the (now discontinued) Credor Spring Drive Sonnerie and Credor Minute Repeater. Mr Ohno designed the movement from the ground up, citing the creative works of past winner Norifumi Seki and Masahiro Kikuno as key inspirations. A closer look at the tourbillon cage. The teeth are polished to catch the light like slick stones. While he learned how to design watch parts at his day job, it was someone else’s job to manufacture them. With the Fuyu-Geshiki, Mr Ohno had to master production as well as design. He cites his colleague, master watchmaker Ikukiyo Komatsu, as a mento...

First Look – Chapter Two in the Revival of L. Leroy with the New Elyor Flying Tourbillon Monochrome
Apr 24, 2026

First Look – Chapter Two in the Revival of L. Leroy with the New Elyor Flying Tourbillon

Parisian watchmaking maison L. Leroy was founded by Basile-Charles Le Roy in 1785 and became the official watchmaker to King Louis XVI and later to Napoleon I and Queen Victoria. Expanding operations to Switzerland, L. Leroy produced marine chronometers for the French Navy and amassed 384 gold medals in chronometry competitions. Iconic masterpieces like the […]

Hands-on – The Otsuka Lotec No.8 Refines Jiro Katayama’s Industrial Language Monochrome
Otsuka Lotec Apr 24, 2026

Hands-on – The Otsuka Lotec No.8 Refines Jiro Katayama’s Industrial Language

We wouldn’t go as far as to say that there’s something fundamentally different about the way Jiro Katayama approaches watchmaking. After all, industrial design, be it cars, instruments, or machinery, has inspired and defined quite a few independents. Still, most start from horology and branch outward, yet the mind behind Otsuka Lotec comes directly from […]

Hands On: Imaginative Automata from Jacob & Co. SJX Watches
Jacob & Co. Apr 24, 2026

Hands On: Imaginative Automata from Jacob & Co.

It is somewhat counterintuitive to think that New York-based jeweller Jacob & Co. is one of the fastest growing brands in the mostly stagnant Swiss watch industry. In fact, Jacob & Co. is now a watchmaker first and a jeweller second by turnover – watches account for 75% of the brand’s revenue today. This success is party due to the brand’s open-minded approach to movement making and the surprising (and often risky) projects it has produced, from the first 31-day wristwatch in 2006 to the world’s fastest tourbillon in 2026. One of Jacob & Co.’s specialties is dial-side automata - micro-mechanical sculptures that that can be activated on demand. Alongside the launch of the flagship Godfather II, Jacob & Co. expanded its range of automata watches with new sapphire editions of the Bugatti Tourbillon, a malachite-dialled Casino, and new editions of the provocative Oil Pump. The Bugatti Tourbillon Sapphire Jacob & Co. is not the first watch brand to collaborate with celebrated carmaker Bugatti, but the collaboration is more than a mere commercial tie-up. In fact, the two companies share a manufacturing partner - Concepto - a La Chaux-de-Fonds-based specialist in components and white-label movements. Bugatti enlisted Concepto to produce the fully analogue instrument cluster of its latest hypercar - the aptly named Tourbillon. This was a delightful return to tactility in a world of digital displays and ubiquitous touchscreens. This three-way collaboration contin...

Introducing – New Editions of the MeisterSinger Pangaea with Textured Dials Monochrome
MeisterSinger Apr 23, 2026

Introducing – New Editions of the MeisterSinger Pangaea with Textured Dials

While not the only brand to offer watches with a single-handed time display, MeisterSinger (since 2001) is the only one to have built its entire identity around this concept. Rooted in early watchmaking traditions, long before minutes and seconds dominated the dial, the brand’s approach prioritises perception over precision. A slower, more deliberate reading of […]

Happenings: Claude Greisler To Lecture At The Horological Society Of New York Hodinkee
Armin Strom Co-Founder Apr 22, 2026

Happenings: Claude Greisler To Lecture At The Horological Society Of New York

Resonance is one of the most fascinating physical phenomena explored in watchmaking, where two oscillators influence each other and eventually synchronize. Since Christiaan Huygens' 17th‑century observations with pendulum clocks, watchmakers have sought to harness it in wristwatches. At the May 2026 lecture of the Horological Society of New York (HSNY), Armin Strom Co-Founder and Master Watchmaker Claude Greisler will share how the brand successfully achieved resonance in 2016 with the caliber ARF15. Central to this innovation is the patented resonance clutch, which links the two hairsprings, allowing them to synchronize quickly and continuously average out rate deviations. Join Greisler as he explores the journey from theory to mechanism and the creation of a modern resonance system. About Claude Greisler "A passion for 'transparent mechanics', both from an aesthetic perspective and to showcase how our watches actually work, has always guided my design sensibility. From a watchmaking perspective, I honor the many generations of Swiss-German watchmakers in my family with an uncompromising commitment to perfection in both movement quality and finishing." - Claude Greisler Born into a watchmaker family, Claude Greisler began his formal watchmaking education at a watchmaker school in Solothurn, Switzerland, followed by advanced programs at the Centre Interrégional de Formation des Montagnes (CIFOM) in Le Locle. He graduated in watch restoration and watch development, com...

Business News: Timothée Chalamet Joins Urban Jürgensen As Minority Partner And Creative Advisor Hodinkee
Urban Jürgensen Apr 22, 2026

Business News: Timothée Chalamet Joins Urban Jürgensen As Minority Partner And Creative Advisor

Timothée Chalamet has gotten really deep into independent watchmaking lately. He's shown up at press events, basketball games, and on the red carpet, wearing everything from a Simon Brette to a Franck Muller and even an Akrivia AK-06. He's also been wearing a neo-vintage Urban Jürgensen from time to time. But it seems like he's always rotated back to his trusty Urban Jürgensen UJ-2, the time-only watch that launched with the brand's revival last summer. He wore the watch promoting the movie Marty Supreme, and again later, when he won the Golden Globe for Best Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for that same film. And now, in a move that makes his passion for the brand official, he's gotten on board as a minority partner and creative advisor. Timothée Chalamet wears an Urban Jürgensen UJ-2 as he attends the 83rd annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on January 11, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images) In a press release provided by the brand, Alex Rosenfield, CEO of Urban Jürgensen, says that Chalamet's passion for independent watchmaking isn't just him hopping on a trend, but rather a part of his passion for craft and quality of work. "We want to work together to advance our mission of bringing a contemporary perspective to the world of independent watchmaking while remaining grounded in what has always defined it," says Rosenfield. The Urban Jürgensen UJ-2, UJ-1, and UJ-3, from our story on the brand rev...

First Look – The New Reservoir Mark II Series, a Stronger Identity with Integrated Design Monochrome
Reservoir Mark II Series Apr 22, 2026

First Look – The New Reservoir Mark II Series, a Stronger Identity with Integrated Design

Reservoir was launched in 2017 and quickly became known as a watchmaking brand inspired by automotive gauges, aeronautical counters and industrial manometers. Reservoir built its identity around a simple yet visually interesting concept: displaying time through jumping hours and retrograde minutes, often with a power reserve indication. Until now, that instrument’s aesthetic influence has been […]

Introducing – The Hand-Engraved Grand Seiko 44GS Mystic Waterfall SBGZ011 Monochrome
Grand Seiko 44GS Mystic Waterfall SBGZ011 Apr 18, 2026

Introducing – The Hand-Engraved Grand Seiko 44GS Mystic Waterfall SBGZ011

Nature is a cornerstone of Japanese culture and a predominant theme at Grand Seiko. Even the settings of the Japanese brand’s manufactures are intentionally studied to inspire the takumi (artisans). Hailing from Grand Seiko’s haute horlogerie Micro Artist Studio in Shiojiri, the Japanese brand releases a high-end Masterpiece SBGZ011 in platinum, in a hand-engraved 44GS case and […]

First Look – Favre Leuba Launches the New 1737 Collection with a Triple Calendar Edition Monochrome
Favre Leuba Launches Apr 18, 2026

First Look – Favre Leuba Launches the New 1737 Collection with a Triple Calendar Edition

The second-oldest name in watchmaking history, Favre Leuba’s origins go back to 1737, when Abraham Favre was recorded as a watchmaker in Le Locle. Following a global relaunch in 2024 under the leadership of CEO Patrik P. Hoffmann, Favre Leuba’s modern revival focuses on precision-driven timepieces that honour the brand’s extensive archives while meeting contemporary […]

First Look – The Eye-Catching Chopard Mille Miglia Classic Patina Monochrome
Chopard Mille Miglia Classic Patina Apr 17, 2026

First Look – The Eye-Catching Chopard Mille Miglia Classic Patina

Chopard’s Mille Miglia collection can best be described as the watchmaking expression of Karl-Friedrich Scheufele’s lifelong obsession with the classic Italian Mille Miglia road race, which he calls an open-air museum on wheels. As the official sponsor of the race since 1988, Chopard enjoys one of the longest-running partnerships between a watch brand and a […]

News – All Together Now: Audemars Piguet Launches the Atelier des Établisseurs Monochrome
Audemars Piguet Launches Apr 17, 2026

News – All Together Now: Audemars Piguet Launches the Atelier des Établisseurs

Audemars Piguet launches the Atelier des Établisseurs, an ambitious project that resurrects the collaborative “établissage” system of late 18th-century watchmaking in the Vallée de Joux. Marking a novel way for the brand to produce remarkable watches using time-honoured traditional crafts, the Atelier des Établisseurs is a twofold enterprise that fosters creativity and collaboration while preserving […]

Introducing – Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon Platinum Monochrome
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon Apr 16, 2026

Introducing – Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon Platinum

A year after Piaget broke the record for the thinnest tourbillon with its 2mm Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon, Bulgari, following its decade-long pursuit of ultra-thin watchmaking, unveiled the Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon in titanium, now the world’s thinnest flying tourbillon at just 1.85mm. The new Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon Platinum edition does not aim to break […]

Introducing – New Vacheron Constantin Tribute to Great Civilisations, Inspired by Masterpieces from the Louvre Monochrome
Vacheron Constantin Tribute Apr 16, 2026

Introducing – New Vacheron Constantin Tribute to Great Civilisations, Inspired by Masterpieces from the Louvre

Vacheron Constantin’s Métiers d’Art Tribute to Great Civilisations series turns the Louvre’s ancient masterpieces into wearable miniature artworks, blending high watchmaking with some of the Maison’s most demanding decorative crafts. Limited to 15 pieces each, the four watches use the calibre 2460 G4/2, a hand-finished automatic movement with peripheral displays that frees the dial for […]

Introducing – The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel Hokusai Waterfalls Series Monochrome
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel Hokusai Apr 15, 2026

Introducing – The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel Hokusai Waterfalls Series

The Reverso has lent itself to artistic expression quite naturally. Since its creation in 1931, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s reversible case has provided a perfect canvas for decoration, engraving and enamel work. In recent years, the Manufacture and its Métiers Rares atelier used this possibility extensively and offered tributes to the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. Following earlier interpretations […]

Van Cleef & Arpels Presents A Duo Of Midnight Watches At Watches And Wonders 2026 Fratello
Chopard Apr 15, 2026

Van Cleef & Arpels Presents A Duo Of Midnight Watches At Watches And Wonders 2026

As a guest writer, I can attest that one thing that stands out about Fratello is the sheer breadth of brands it covers. From watchmaking giants such as Chopard to microbrands like Aevig, Fratello is always up for giving a good watch, however famous or niche it may be, a well-deserved moment in the spotlight. […] Visit Van Cleef & Arpels Presents A Duo Of Midnight Watches At Watches And Wonders 2026 to read the full article.