Hodinkee
In-Depth: How Vacheron Constantin Is Keeping Two Classic Movements From Vanishing Off The Face Of The Earth
Modern movement design is more reliable than ever. But does that mean the dumbing down of watchmaking, as well?
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Hodinkee
Modern movement design is more reliable than ever. But does that mean the dumbing down of watchmaking, as well?
Time+Tide
Sometimes I encounter a watch that makes me think of Kim Jong-il. Let me explain. With more than 1,200 official titles, the North Korean dictator boasted more aliases than the average member of the Wu-Tang Clan. These included “Guardian Deity Of The Planet”, “Ever-Victorious General”, “Lodestar of the 21st Century”, “Eternal Bosom of Hot Love” … ContinuedThe post Why do brands give their new watches such dumb names? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
Full of warm tones and genuine history, the Hanhart Bronze 417 Chronograph Edition No. 2 “Copperhead” is a pilot’s watch for the stylish set.
SJX Watches
Founded by a Slovakian duo who are both trained jewellers, Molnar Fabry specialises in elaborately decorated watches built on existing movements. Last year the pair reworked a Vaucher automatic calibre, but the brand’s latest project started life over a century ago. Echoing one of Molnar Fabry’s creations from 2018, the Grand Master Minute Repeater is essentially a pocket watch converted into a wristwatch. Starting out as a C.H. Meylan minute repeating pocket watch from 1901, the Grand Master features a hand-made case containing the pocket watch movement, which has been entirely refinished and extensively engraved. A close-up of the heavily decorated movement Initial thoughts Molnar Fabry does high quality work especially in terms of decoration, both for movement components and engraving. Their style is usual ornate, which might not be to everyone’s taste, but the brand has shown versatility in its past work, which has included more streamlined designs. The Grand Master is definitely ornate with its fully engraved case and movement. The quality and thoroughness of the work is impressive. And relatively to its ballpark price, the Grand Master is priced reasonably compared to what better-known makers in Switzerland would charge. But as with many pocket watch conversions, the Grand Master is a huge watch. The case is 47 mm by 14 mm. For anyone who likes their watches on this scale – and appreciates the skill that went into the decoration – the Grand Master is off t...
Hodinkee
Fifty years ago Timex unveiled its first quartz watch. Now it's back.
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Hodinkee
I'm not sure what the rules are, either – but I'm here for the watch.
SJX Watches
For an uncompromising mechanical watch enthusiast, one of the most dreaded words in the specifications of a watch is surely “quartz”. Oftentimes that dread is followed by the thought, if only it was mechanical… I must admit this went through my mind when I discovered the lovely Cartier Santos Dumont in 2019. And that was despite Cartier’s best efforts in communicating that the movement inside was a long-autonomy quartz calibre with a six-year battery life. The Cartier Santos Dumont trio, with only the XL variant (extreme left) being mechanical In the time since, I began to ponder the question: why do I seek the latest electronic gadgets, but am dismissive towards quartz watches? Just because quartz movements are often cheap and easily available, does that leave them uniformly uninteresting? The Quartz Crisis On Monday, December 29, 1969, tucked somewhere in the The New York Times was an eight-line paragraph that ended with “[the] world’s first electronic wrist watch with a crystal oscillator.” That electronic watch, as you may have guessed, was the Seiko Quartz-Astron. It was barely obvious at the time, but the announcement, innocuous as it was, would be the harbinger of a crisis for Swiss watchmaking. The father of all quartz watches, the Seiko Quartz-Astron 35SQ in 18K yellow gold The Quartz-Astron cost as much as a Toyota Corolla at the time of of its release – its price was equivalent to about US$1,200 – and was without a doubt a luxury product. Ov...
Deployant
Chopard celebrates Chinese New Year with the addition of its latest Chinese zodiac watch to the L.U.C collection: the L.U.C XP Urushi Year of the Tiger.
Deployant
For many watch enthusiasts, there is just something poetic and romantic about manual-winding watches. Perhaps these watches are in its most rudimentary form in terms of how it is powered, or maybe it lies in the simple fact that manual-winding movements allow us to have an intimate and tactile relationship with our timepieces. For thisRead More
Time+Tide
Sports watches were once truly tool watches. A chronograph was a stopwatch on the wrist, a dive watch with a timing bezel was the original dive computer. But today, the idea that either are the best tools for the job is a bit romantic. They definitely can get it done, and that is part of … ContinuedThe post It’s Nautilus vs Aquanaut as Brooklyn Beckham & James Corden have a steak / frites cook-off while wearing Pateks appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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SJX Watches
A young brand established only in 2018 – but backed by noted industry figures – Norqain is best known for sports watches equipped with high-quality movements produced by Kenissi, the manufacture owned by Tudor and Chanel. At the higher end of the brand’s offerings is a dual-time watch with a ceramic bezel insert and patterned dial that was introduced just last year in steel. Now it gets a luxe facelift, resulting in the Adventure Neverest GMT 41mm Steel & Gold. Available either with rubber strap or steel bracelet Initial thoughts The all-steel Neverest GMT a straightforward, agreeable proposition: practical functions backed by a solid movement, while boasting a fairly elaborate case and dial. Yet such features aren’t enough in today’s market since extras like a ceramic bezel are almost the norm. Despite its strong execution in terms of fit and finish, the original Neverest GMT lacked a punchy aesthetic, with its styling seeming a bit derivative. That’s changed with the two-tone model. The addition of a modest quantity of pink gold gives the watch a more upscale feel, especially complemented by the glossy ceramic bezel, resulting in a look more comparable with its competition in the same price range. Two-tone here means the addition of gold details, rather than an excessive use of the precious metal The gold details, however, mean the watch is about 40% pricier than its steel counterpart. At US$5,290 on a strap and more on a bracelet, the two-tone Neverest GMT ...
Time+Tide
Welcome to The Icons, a series where we take a horological deep dive into the most legendary watches of all time. We’ll delve into the story behind the watch, its evolution over the years, famous (and infamous) wearers, the classic references, and the contemporary versions you should be checking out. Dive watches are among the … ContinuedThe post The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms is the daddy of modern dive watches appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
This Father’s Day – or any day – give your next watch a personal touch.
Hodinkee
Last President's Day, we released one of our most ambitious watch research projects to date: an attempt to catalog all known watches of U.S. Presidents. We knew that more watches would continue to come out of the woodwork, so we have collected a number of new watch discoveries here and have added them to the full guide. As always, please let us know if you happen to become aware of any U.S. President's watch we don't have listed.
Time+Tide
When the original Grand Seiko SLGH005 “White Birch” was first unveiled, I was overjoyed that their 9SA5 hi-beat caliber had made its way into the standard production caliber. It is a personal goal of mine to own a watch powered by this movement, which represents the pinnacle of their mechanical movement technology. But, as I … ContinuedThe post Grand Seiko’s family tree grows with their new SLGH011 “Green Birch” appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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Time+Tide
A lot has happened over the last seven days, but earlier today TAG Heuer ushered in their next generation of Connected Watch: the Calibre E4. Some collectors scoff at the idea of a smartwatch, claiming that such a digital device does not have the artistic essence of a traditional mechanical timepiece. But let’s face it, … ContinuedThe post FRIDAY WIND DOWN: TAG launches new Connected Watches, 2022 looks promising for Longines appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
As the resident gentleman of Quill & Pad, the H. Moser & Cie x The Armoury Endeavour Small Seconds Total Eclipse should have Martin Green's name written all over it. Yet when he first saw the watch, he didn’t boil over with excitement. This is not the first logoless, minimalistic watch that Moser has made, so what does it add to what is already there? Read on to discover the answer.
Time+Tide
While some watch collectors may ‘pooh pooh’ smartwatches in general, ultimately it is the largest category of watches in the marketplace today. Sure, they may not possess the traditional glamour of mechanical watchmaking but their modern functionalities are extremely compelling to watch wearers around the world. The USP of the TAG Heuer Connected lineup has … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 is smaller, sleeker in 42mm, and better optioned again appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Sudden injuries, nosedives in form, squalid punch-ups in pub car-parks that are snapped by the tabloid press… Suffice to say when a watch brand picks a sporting ambassador it’s a decision fraught with risk. When Hublot signed Novak Djokovic last August, for example, they were justified in their belief they were partnering with a “living … ContinuedThe post Have IWC pulled off a masterstroke with teenage ski sensation Eileen Gu? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
In the eyes of the larger watch marketplace, steel is the king. As a more entry-priced metal, with qualities highly suited for daily wear, it makes sense that the majority of watch buyers are drawn to these pieces. But today, with steel being all the rage, a bit of an ironic dilemma has arisen. While … ContinuedThe post Three highlights to keep an eye on in Zurich auction of rose-gold only watches appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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SJX Watches
Originally announced in 2018, the Leica L1 and L2 (now renamed ZM 1 and ZM 2) wristwatches have finally made it to market. Developed with the help of a German watchmaker but very much a proprietary product, the ZM 1 and ZM 2 are both powered by variants of the same cleverly constructed calibre that is an impressive debut for the camera maker’s horological venture. Initial thoughts The Leica watch has a restrained, Germanic aesthetic with interesting details, but more importantly an interesting, thoughtful movement. Developed from the ground up for Leica, the calibre features useful complications like a power reserve and hacking, zero-reset seconds, but executed in an unusual yet practical manner. At the same time, the patented pull crown is novel without sacrificing functionality. The design of the movement is also appealing, with its partially open-worked bridges cleverly exposing the key components of the going train and complications The watch is big, but not excessively large. Considering the size of the calibre, the case dimensions are acceptable. That said, this is the limit, any larger and the case would be enormous. It helps that the styling is attractively low key. The dial and case appear simple at a distance, but reveal their details up close. The hands and hour markers, for instance, echo each other, while the crowns are finely knurled. Leica also avoided a common pitfall of watches inspired by other technically-oriented industries, no doubt thanks to Achim H...
Quill & Pad
Women have played a significant role in Breguet’s history, acting as inspiration or catalyst for some of the company’s most memorable timepieces – a phenomenon that continues today. So in 2018, when Breguet launched a timepiece in honor of St. Valentine’s Day, it was the start of an annual ode to love that has become as highly anticipated for watch lovers as the holiday itself. Here are all five of these limited edition timepieces.
Revolution
When it was first introduced in 1985 the Breitling Aerospace represented the cutting edge of technology. But as the years rolled on tastes and technology changed, turning the distinctive ana-digi tool watch into an increasingly obscure offering.
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: There are a lot of watches out there and while we endeavour to stay across as many as we can, truth be told, some fly under the radar (fly being the operative word in this case). That’s why we were delighted when a Time+Tide reader, Edouard, informed us about a watch we’d never … ContinuedThe post The super-exclusive Tudor Black Bay that you’ve never seen before appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
A watch is a watch, but sometimes it's so much more.
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