Two Broke Watch Snobs
2024’s Best Swiss Watch Brands | All Are Not Created Equal
Researching Swiss watch brands? Check out our favorite selections right here, spanning from budget-friendly to budget-busting.
1,753 articles · 36 videos found · page 7 of 60
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Researching Swiss watch brands? Check out our favorite selections right here, spanning from budget-friendly to budget-busting.
Fratello
Geneva-based Pragma is the brainchild of Christopher Wegener and Kai-Hsuan Liu. Wegener has 21 years of experience in watchmaking; he worked for Rolex and F.P.Journe, for instance. Liu is the brand’s Creative Design Director. He has a background at Hermès and a studio of his own, and his forté is fusing natural and technological elements. […] Visit Introducing The Pragma P1 – Perseverance: A 100% Swiss Chronometer Made With 82.7% Recycled Materials to read the full article.
Quill & Pad
Swatch stands as a testament to innovation, resilience, and creativity within the watch industry. Born out of the ashes of the Quartz Crisis, Swatch both saved the Swiss watch industry from obsolescence and revolutionized it through its groundbreaking approach to design, manufacturing, and marketing.
Fratello
When we think of watches, our minds are often first cast to Switzerland’s many manufacturers. But Germany makes fantastic timepieces, and perhaps it is worth giving Switzerland’s larger northern neighbor a look too when on the hunt for a new watch. Let’s look at some German watches! Switzerland has a proud tradition of watchmaking that […] Visit Six For Six: German Watches That Compete With Swiss Timepieces to read the full article.
Fratello
A little while ago, a copy of vintage watch collector Aashdin K. Billimoria’s new book landed on my desk. That name might ring a bell for you as he’s also the author of Nivada Grenchen Antarctic - The History of a Legend. And now he’s proudly presenting his book titled A Comprehensive Guide to Vintage […] Visit Introducing: A Comprehensive Guide To Vintage Swiss Watches to read the full article.
Video
Does every release feel like starting from scratch? That’s because you don’t have a framework.
Revolution
Presenting part two of Wei and Oliver R Müller’s insightful discussion, where they delve into the triumphs of the Swiss watch industry in 2023. From the dominance of the ‘Big Four’ luxury watch brands to intriguing surprises within the industry, join them as they unravel the fascinating narrative behind the success story of Swiss horology. […]
Hodinkee
In a precedent-setting case, the Swiss Supreme Court says that Artisans de Geneve's personalization business can continue – but it's complicated. The lawsuit also raises a bigger question: Who can customize?
Revolution
In 2023, the Swiss watch industry celebrated a remarkable milestone, with record-breaking sales reaching CHF 26.7 billion. Wristwatches accounted for CHF 25.5 billion of this total, marking a notable 7.7% increase, alongside the sale of 16.9 million units. At first glance, these figures paint a picture of resounding success. However, a deeper analysis within the […]
Monochrome
While the growth for the luxury industry as a whole is expected to slow following months/years of sustained development, with macroeconomic and geopolitical headwinds and demand uncertainties in the US, Europe and China, the Swiss watch industry ended up 2023 as yet another record year, with exports up 7.6% compared to 2022, reaching their highest […]
Time+Tide
'Affordable' is a relative term here, but there's no doubt that ArtyA's Purity Tourbillon range present attractive value propositions.The post Are these the most affordable Swiss sapphire tourbillons? Inside the ArtyA Purity Tourbillon family appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Video
When people are about to buy, they check YouTube for:
Monochrome
The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry has just released their export statistic for 2023 – December ended the year on a positive note with exports up 5.5%. For the year as a whole, the industry exports recorded an increase of 7.6% compared to 2022, reaching their highest level ever at CHF 26.7 billion for […]
Time+Tide
Initially a plan to fill a slot in a personal collection, the HZ.01 aims to be the ideal, affordable everyday watch.The post The Hz Watches HZ.01 sports Swiss quartz, hardened titanium, and GADA proportions for less than $200 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Teddy Baldassarre
Swiss watches are regarded by many as the finest timepieces in the world, and finding truly affordable Swiss watches can be, to put it mildly, somewhat challenging. Watches mass-produced in Japan and other Asian countries have cornered much of the market in the affordable realm, which we're defining here as watches with prices roughly topping out at $2,000; even Switzerland's neighbor, Germany, might be able to claim more "serious" brands that aim for this price segment. But due to the sheer size and diversity of its watch industry, Switzerland does offer its own fair share of value-oriented watches, all of which meet the globally respected "Swiss Made" standard. To coin a cliché, you just have to know where to look, and which labels to focus on. Here are 36 affordable Swiss watches, from some of the world's most admired Swiss watch brands, in a handful of popular categories. FASHION Swatch Sistem 51 Price: $155, Reference: SUTN405, Case Size: 42 mm, Case Height: 13.9 mm, Lug To Lug: 50.6 mm, Water Resistance: 30 meters, Crystal: Mineral, Movement: Automatic Swatch, often dismissed as the maker of plastic-cased, quartz-driven, mass-marketed timepieces for limited budgets and trend-driven youth, made the watch world sit up and take notice when it unveiled the Sistem 51 in 2013. Priced at an astounding $150, the watch contained an innovatively designed 51-part mechanical movement with five assembly-line produced modules held together by a single central screw. Swatch...
Time+Tide
“We are a little bit arrogant. We feel that we are the king of the customer - and it’s the customer who is the king. You should never reverse this.’’The post Top Swiss watch CEOs tell Fortune they’ve been too “arrogant” as the pandemic watch boom peters out appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Forget teaming up with Swatch: Zach speculates what would happen if Breguet took a leaf out of Omega's book.The post WHAT IF… Breguet were also able to use the co-axial escapement? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Video
Most brands think daily posting = consistency. Wrong.
SJX Watches
Still one of the most notable escapements on the market despite being a decade old, Girard-Perregaux’s double-wheel-and-silicon invention has been refined and revived as the Neo Constant Escapement. Presented in titanium, the Neo Constant Escapement is the regular production version of the unique piece in pink gold made for Only Watch 2023. The calibre within is a revamped version of the 2013 original that retains the double escape wheels and integral constant-force silicon spring, but reworked for superior function. Initial thoughts Technically impressive as it was, the original Constant Escapement (CE) from 2013 was huge (the case was 48 mm, making size one of its biggest weakness) and expensive at the time. That explains in part why the CE never caught on despite its merits. The revamp of the watch ten years old has substantially improved both its function and form. The Neo Constant Escapement (NCE) is both more wearable and more appealing in terms of design. Besides being more compact, the “Neo” case also has a highly domed crystal that shows off the escapement well. Even though the watch has been redesigned, the NCE retains the hyper-modern, open-worked styling of the original. The look certainly suits the inventive nature of the silicon escapement, though it would have been interesting if GP experimented with a classical design, which might have been ironic but attractive for the contrasting ideas. Equally important is the fact that the retail price remains ab...
Time+Tide
Like many new microbrands, Bōken was created from a desire to do good in an industry that has only recently become interested in conservation efforts, alongside making great watches, of course. Built with a brushed titanium case and housed in a contemporary cushion shape, the Bōken Nomad takes a premium position within the microbrand realm by … ContinuedThe post The Bōken Nomad combines grade 2 titanium and a Swiss-made movement appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Horage's 'all-terrain' luxury sports watch receives an ocean-inspired second instalment, ditching its GMT complication while retaining some GMT DNA.The post The Horage Supersede Date shows off the true meaning of Swiss-made appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Our Friday Wind-Down usually serves as a restful, fun read after a week of slaving away beneath fluorescent bulbs and drop ceilings. This week, however, catastrophic news from La Chaux-de-Fonds has put a dampener on things, as inclement weather ripped through the region, causing significant damage to buildings, more than a dozen injured people, and, … ContinuedThe post FRIDAY WIND DOWN: Movement maker giant Sellita caught up in Swiss super-storm appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
A regular participant at Only Watch, Girard-Perregaux’s latest contribution to the charity auction, the Neo Constant Escapement Only Watch 2023, revisits its innovation constant-force escapement. Girard-Perregaux (GP) first unveiled the Constant Escapement in 2013 as a wristwatch with a unique, dual-wheel escapement with an integral constant-force silicon buckling spring. Ten years on, the Neo Constant Escapement is a revamp of the original concept with incremental upgrades to the mechanism. Initial thoughts The Neo Constant Escapement (NCE) is not merely a rehash of the original. It is a technical evolution, which is at the very minimum an academically interesting take on an already exotic escapement. The Only Watch edition is dressed in predominantly monochromatic livery with a pink gold case and movement bridges – even the mainspring barrels are pink gold. The generous use of pink gold might be polarising, which arguably makes it perfectly suited as a one-off piece that will inevitably find an eager buyer at the auction. In the grander scheme of things however, the NCE Only Watch edition marks the beginning of GP reviving the Constant Escapement. Even by today’s standards of advanced tech in watchmaking, the Constant Escapement is an integrated design comprised of a double-wheel escapement with a remontoir spring, making it an escapement unlike any other. It is admirable that the escapement has been updated for better reliability, while preserving its original ide...
Video
Most brands lose all momentum 1–2 weeks after launch.
Time+Tide
A common feature of any independent brand, micro or otherwise, is the brave undertaking of “cutting out the middleman”. Even though this phrase has become overused, and in some cases, rightfully ridiculed, the success of many independent brands lies in online-only availability, which is often one of the main driving forces behind affordable prices. Yet … ContinuedThe post Marnaut opens a new chapter with a Croatian boutique, Swiss movements and German manufacturing appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
According to the BBC, the Swiss chocolate bar, Toblerone, is being forced to remove the image of the iconic Swiss Matterhorn mountain peak on its pyramid-shaped packaging, due to some of its production moving from Switzerland to Slovakia. The reason? Not Swiss enough. Clearly, having “Swiss made” on the label is valuable, especially for products … ContinuedThe post How Swiss is Swiss enough? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
If you spend any time on the watch internet whatsoever, you’ll quickly become familiar with ETA and Sellita, eventually recognising Kenissi, Vaucher and others. While the big two manufacturers are responsible for most of the industry’s Swiss movement supply, with other smaller ones filling the gaps, notable manufacturers are often underappreciated. One such maker is … ContinuedThe post THE Plus are specialists in Swiss production, and could be the future of “in-house” movements appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Erotic watches have long been a controversial topic. Some praise the individuality, artistry and taboo nature of these pieces, impressed by the intricately painted scenes or complex automata depicting them. Others, however, denounce them completely for their tackiness despite the connection to the historical tradition of erotic art – something Luke Benedictus shared his thoughts … ContinuedThe post NSFW! Holiday Hentai from a historic Swiss brand? Merry Christmas, I guess appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Special edition watches can celebrate anniversaries, achievements or celebrity tie-ins, but sometimes a special edition can just exist because the watch is special. Mido’s latest reference of the Ocean Star GMT applies the classic Pepsi colour scheme to their flagship travelling diver, injecting it with even more of a sporting attitude than it already had. … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The Mido Ocean Star GMT Special Edition is a sporty refresh of the best value Swiss GMT around appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Video
Most watch launches don’t fail because of the product — they fail because of the content.
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