6,065 articles · 613 videos found · page 71 of 223
Monochrome
Launched in 2016, the Hublot Big Bang Meca-10 combines the best of Hublot: modern materials, an edgy skeleton movement with a 10-day power reserve – one of the most important calibres from the brand with the Unico Chronograph – and versatility with the practical one-click interchangeable strap system. With the current trend for smaller watches, […]
Quill & Pad
GaryG's thoughts have turned to one major system that is always there, but generally hidden from sight: the movement. Here are a few of his favorites and why. And in the philosophy of putting my money where my mouth is, these movements have appeared in one or more watches that he has owned personally.
Fratello
If you compare horology and science, Urwerk must be fundamental science. The house does not ask what people need. Instead, it asks what is possible on the fringes. The Urwerk UR-230 is a prime example. Its dual-turbine system allows the user to regulate the watch’s winding. Does anyone need that? No. But who cares? It […] Visit Introducing A Tougher Shade Of White: The Urwerk UR-230 Ceramique to read the full article.
Monochrome
Two years after introducing the Type 8, its most minimalist time-only watch, Belgian independent watchmaker Ressence expands the concept with the launch of the new Type 9. Like all Ressence creations, the latest model incorporates the brand’s patented ROCS (Ressence Orbital Convex System) display module, with time indicated via revolving sub-dials – the so-called “beyond […]
Monochrome
Founded by Belgian industrial designer Benoît Mintiens in 2010, Ressence is renowned for its ingenious no-hands display of the time. Sleek, minimalist, futuristic watches with innovative mechanical solutions, Ressence tells the time with revolving sub-dials powered by the brand’s patented Orbital Convex System (ROCS). Like planets orbiting the Sun, the time indications circle the dial […]
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SJX Watches
Having been acquired by Breitling’s private-equity owners last year, Universal Genève is scheduled to officially come back to life in 2026. But ahead of its revival in two years, the brand has unveiled a trio of one-off vintage remakes, the Polerouter SAS Tribute. Commemorating the 70th anniversary of the inaugural Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) flight across the North Pole from Copenhagen to Los Angeles, the three watches are modelled on the Polerouter, a watch created especially for the pilots of SAS. Notably, the Polerouter was designed by the late Gérald Genta when he was just 23 years old. The SAS Tribute is made up of three unique watches, one each in stainless steel, 18k white gold, and 18k red gold, with the white gold example slated to be sold at Phillips in May 2025 with proceeds going to a Geneva arts school. The remaining pair will be retained by Universal Genève as part of its archive and will not be offered for sale. Initial thoughts The Polerouter trio are essentially faithful remakes, right down to the new-old-stock cal. 1-69 micro-rotor movement inside, but with dials in modern colours and finishes. While drawing inspiration from the vintage design, they look modern. The trio isn’t particularly imaginative, though it will appeal to fans of the brand’s vintage watches. Such remakes aren’t enough to revive a Universal Genève, though the brand’s attention to its historical models will be appreciated by enthusiasts. Whether or not Universal...
Time+Tide
The London-based second-hand dealer has just completed a second round of funding thanks to Stuart Hennell, formerly of WatchFinder.The post Subdial raises £1.5 million through Watchfinder founder appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
Black Friday Deals Live Now The More You Spend, the More You Save It’s that time - we’re kicking off our Black Friday Sale in the Windup Watch Shop with exciting deals and promotions to help you kick the holiday season into gear, including discounts on some products that never go on sale. As an added incentive, we’ve brought back our tiered discount system - the more you spend, the more you’ll save! As always, the Windup Watch Team is available via consultation to answer any questions you have. In addition, all of these products are eligible for free domestic shipping across the US. Black Friday Deals Live Now The More You Spend, the More You Save It’s that time - we’re kicking off our Black Friday Sale in the Windup Watch Shop with exciting deals and promotions to help you kick the holiday season into gear, including discounts on some products that never go on sale. As an added incentive, we’ve brought back our tiered discount system - the more you spend, the more you’ll save! As always, the Windup Watch Team is available via consultation to answer any questions you have. In addition, all of these products are eligible for free domestic shipping across the US. The post Black Friday Deals Live Now In The Windup Watch Shop appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Hodinkee
Digging through Universal Genève's incredibly varied history with the Italian dealer and collector.
Fratello
This week on Fratello Talks, we examine the Patek Philippe Cubitus. Nacho, Lex, and Daan join forces to discuss this hotly debated release from one of the world’s most prestigious watch brands. Initially leaked via a magazine ad, the watch did not receive the warmest welcome from watch enthusiasts. And despite journalists at the launch […] Visit Fratello Talks: The Patek Philippe Cubitus to read the full article.
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Time+Tide
Urwerk's iconic satellite hours complication sees its most ambitious retrograde system yet, which resembles the lightning-fast strike of a scorpion.The post Urwerk reinvents its signature complication in stingingly fun fashion with the UR-150 Scorpion appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Having made its debut with the Big Pilot AMG G 63 a year ago, ceramic matrix composite (CMC) is an innovative material currently unique to IWC in watchmaking. Little was disclosed about the material at launch, but IWC has just released additional detail on CMC. Notably, the material was developed in collaboration with the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), or German Aerospace Center, a national research institute specialising in aerospace, travel, energy, and even quantum computing. While novel materials are common in watchmaking, brands rarely reveal the origin of the materials, making this collaboration notable. Moreover, the DLR is a highly regarded, independent technical institute, which arguably gives CMC more credibility (and cachet) than most composites employed in watchmaking. Utilising a space-qualified like CMC in a watch tied to a high-performance SUV, however, seems to be a missed opportunity, though it’s a certainty IWC has plans for the the material. Blocks of CMC Staying true to size Fibre ceramic composites are a new class of materials, which combine the surface hardness of conventional ceramics with high tolerance to mechanical and thermal shocks. DLR’s previous work with ceramic composites revolved around making large components for aerospace applications, namely rockets or satellites. The institute was looking to adapt its short-fibre pressing technology for making smaller, near-net-shape parts – not unlike a watch case. Near-net-sha...
Worn & Wound
Arizona’s SēL Instruments have been making, literally, bomb proof watches since 2017. The term overengineered is often thrown around in watchmaking, but no other brand quite embodies this term the way SēL Instruments does. Not only do they engineer their watches from scratch, but they also engineer the equipment to make them, as well as the tools to test them. They even reinvented the watch bracelet with an ingenious clasp system called the Wavlock. According to the brand, their watches appeal to many in the armed forces, police, EMTs, or anyone that lives and works in the harshest environments on earth. You can tell these watches were made by someone that never skips leg days, though just like Adrew McLean’s oversize quads, these watches have always been quite large. That is, until now. Introducing the new OmniDiver Xos 42, a smaller, much more wearable version of their signature OmniDiver. That said, they did not just shrink it. Their focus is on a trifecta feature set for extreme environmental protection in a smaller 42mm case: impact resistance, water resistance, and magnetic resistance. The original OmniDiver has a water-resistance rating of 6,100 meters, but the new Xos 42 is still no slouch at 2,000 meters. What is even more impressive is that the new one is only 13.7mm thick. To make that happen, they needed to add new Teflon bearings to their already incredibly good ball-bearing bezel bezel assembly. They needed to strengthen their screw-down crown and inv...
SJX Watches
While the history of the Rolex diver’s watch begins with the Oyster Perpetual Submariner of 1953, one of the brand’s landmark achievement in water-resistant cases is more recent: the Oyster Perpetual Rolex Deepsea launched in 2008 that incorporates the Ringlock system. With the innovative Ringlock system, Rolex surmounted an enduring obstacle in building a deeper-diving watch – a case that grew in proportion to the depth rating. The Ringlock system is a patented case architecture that fundamentally rethought the traditional approach to a diver’s watch, which allowed the Rolex Deepsea to achieve a water-resistance rating of 3,900 m with a 44 mm case. The utility of the Ringlock was proven in 2022 with the Oyster Perpetual Deepsea Challenge that took the Oyster case to the limits of horological engineering. Featuring a 50 mm case in RLX titanium, the Deepsea Challenge is water resistant to 11,000 m – the all-time water-resistance record for a mechanical wristwatch. The latest addition to the deep-diving collection, the Oyster Perpetual Rolex Deepsea in 18k yellow gold. Image – Rolex A deep history The history of Rolex is inextricably intertwined with the water-resistant wristwatch. Six years after establishing the brand in 1908, Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf wrote to Bienne-based movement maker Aegler, “We must find a way to create a waterproof wristwatch”. By 1926, Wilsdorf had achieved his goal with the launch of the Oyster, a waterproof wristwatch which ha...
Monochrome
A long-established name in the watch industry, with a deep heritage in crafting some of the most impressive tool watches during the golden era of mechanical watchmaking, Favre Leuba ad to face ups and downs, with multiple owners. Recently, the brand has been revived with veteran industry leader Patrik Hoffmann at its head. Re-launched at […]
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Worn & Wound
In its latest iteration of the Depthmaster, Swiss watch manufacturer Nivada Grenchen has just released their Purple Ghost limited edition. You may remember this model from last year’s review, but the new Purple Ghost has reimagined the classic diver of the past in a new colorway that’s as interesting as it is, frankly, cool. To begin with, we should mention that the Purple Ghost is a collaborative effort with Naples, Florida-based authorized retailer of some of the world’s most famous brands, Exquisite Timepieces. With its long relationship with Nivada Grenchen, this partnership highlights not only the best of both brands, but also the strengths of each – both separately and together. With Exquisite’s history in the luxury watch space and Nivada Grenchen’s 145 years in business, I’m sure each brand was able to compare notes and bring to market something that’s totally unique in the market today. So, enter the Purple Ghost. As with its previous iteration, you are going to get a lot of distinct personality from this watch. Before we get too far into what makes the Purple Ghost unique, we should take notes of the case. Ostensibly a cushion case, the oversized bezel adds a proportionality to this watch that belies its 39mm size. Like last year’s release of the Depthmaster, this LE comes with some funky Pac-Man-style numerical markings (don’t they kind of remind you of The Rugrats logo – in the best way possible?). Couple that with the vibrant purple Swiss...
Teddy Baldassarre
Unimatic took a step in a new direction this summer with the release of a new collection simply called Toolwatch. The collection consists of four watches across two styles, and represents a push into function-driven design. Each of the watches meet the MIL-STD-810 standard used by the US Department of Defense, and boast an internal protection system designed by Unimatic. It’s clear the Italian brand is making a serious move into true tool-watch territory here, and the watches themselves have a number of unique elements on their side, but how do they stand up to real-world, practical use? We went hands-on to find out. The UT1 GMT is one of four variations released within the Toolwatch collection, utilizing a fully indexed rotating bezel, and featuring a GMT disk and date complication. As with all Unimatic watches, the case is the most distinctive feature of the UT1, and it falls into very familiar territory. The design language that Unimatic has developed for its cases is geometric and confident, with fixed planes that meet at set angles, and no real curvature in sight. At 41.5mm in diameter, and 49mm from lug to lug, this case has a muscular presence, but never feels overbearing. This is a case that invites a closer look at a variety of angles, and there’s always a dramatic view that awaits. It’s not graceful, but it works just fine on the wrist, all things considered. This is a watch that wears its personality on its sleeve, and at nearly 14mm thick, it won’t be...
Deployant
We spent ten glorious days photographing with the Phase One XT mirrorless camera system with Rodenstock lenses. Is this the ultimate camera
Fratello
According to an early ’50s print ad for the Zodiac Autographic ref. 666, “No motorist would buy a car without a petrol gauge.” It’s amusing but true, I can’t help but think it’s such a witty way to put a bug (or watch) in your mind. Zodiac stole my heart a few times in the […] Visit #TBT A Wonder-Packed And Unusual Zodiac Autographic Ref. 666 to read the full article.
Fratello
Why would you chase rainbows? We already know that hardly anyone can buy an entry-level Nautilus or Aquanaut from a Patek Philippe boutique or AD. Why, then, would you put yourself in a situation that has you looking outside the official channels, only to face unrealistic asking prices (although they’re dipping a bit)? There are […] Visit An Impromptu Hands-On With The Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph 5960/1A-001 - An Extraordinary And Sporty Gentleman Of A Watch to read the full article.
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Fratello
A “gift for a man who has everything . . . even a sports car!” says the 1959 ad promoting the Benrus Competition, a watch personalized with one of eight car crests. Besides this Mercedes version, Porsche, MG, Jaguar, Triumph, Corvette, VW, and Thunderbird models were available. I admit that I saw this watch for […] Visit #TBT The Scarce Mercedes-Branded Competition By Benrus to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Panerai’s origins lie in highly luminous dive watches for the Italy’s Marina Militare – and its signature models are named after luminescence – and the brand’s latest continues that tradition. Equipped with a miniature lighting system, the Submersible Elux LAB-ID PAM01800 is the fourth of Panerai’s LAB-ID “concept” watches. The PAM01800 is powered by a movement with twin mainsprings, and the lighting module having four mainsprings of its own for 30 minutes of illumination. Initial thoughts Amongst Panerai’s recent launches, the PAM01800 is the most interesting both in terms of technology and relevance to the brand’s history. Though such lighting systems have been done before by Van Cleef & Arpels and De Bethune, the one inside the PAM01800 is more advanced, being brighter as well as having a longer power reserve, up to 30 minutes of illumination in fact. And it is a fitting nod to vintage Panerai watches that were generously lumed pocket watches modified for the wrist. At 49 mm, the PAM01800 is slightly ridiculous in size, and almost the same size as the Rolex Deepsea Challenge, but not far from the dimensions of historical Panerai watches. However, the PAM01800 is expensive at CHF92,800. Despite the interesting technology, the price feels ambitious, particularly since Panerai never really had durable success with its highest end offerings. Motor-driven lume A project that took some eight years to complete according to the brand, the PAM01800 was devel...
Time+Tide
This beefy yet innovative watch uses a complex six-barrel system that's wound by a typical automatic rotor to mechanically power LED backlights.The post Panerai’s innovative Submersible Elux LAB-ID features mechanical luminescence – without using a dynamo appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
MB&F; enhanced their innovative LM Sequential chronograph with a flyback system and an anbled hour minute dial. Presented in a platinum case.
SJX Watches
Among the many different escapement types, one in particular stands out, the detent escapement. Taking its name from détente, French for “trigger”, this system is often considered to be the purest type of escapement due to its efficiency and virtually lubrication-free operation. Any sort of mechanical clock or watch requires an escapement, a mechanism that transfers torque from the power source to the regulating organ. The escapement bridges the steady rotation of the gears in the going train and the oscillation of the balance. As a result, the escapement fulfils a double function, both maintaining the swing of the balance and regulating the discharge speed of the mainspring and going train. The detent escapement was invented in the second half of the 18th century, somewhat simultaneously but independently by the English watchmakers Thomas Earnshaw (1749-1829) and John Arnold (1736-1799). A somewhat similar escapement was prototyped by the Frenchman Pierre Le Roy (1717–1785) some three decades earlier, but the modern detent escapement is derived mostly from Earnshaw’s design. Initially, the escapement was conceived for use in marine chronometers, explaining why it is also known as a chronometer escapement. The chronometer escapement also inspired many innovative subsequent escapements, like the Breguet’s natural escapement, the Robin escapement, and the Daniels co-axial. Drawings of detent escapement types taken from ‘The Marine Chronometer: Its History and ...
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