23,560 articles · 245 videos found · page 718 of 794
Monochrome
While the Prospex collection of Seiko tends to play on the serious side of things with pro-oriented tool watches, the Seiko 5 Sports range has been a great field for creativity for the brand, using it to create dozens of collaborative projects with brands, artists or franchises. Fun, accessible, fairly robust and with a design […]
Monochrome
Every year since 2020, to celebrate the month in which three close friends – Alain Marhic, Jérôme Mage and Joseph Châtel – founded March LA.B, a highly limited and “Millésimée” watch is revealed. This year, the AM2 Slim GMT Titanium “Millesime March 2025” Edition may be seen as a combination of styles and features of […]
Fratello
Marginal gains - the world of Haute Horlogerie moves forward in little steps. That is already a miracle since mechanical watchmaking is in its private universe where functionality is not an essential survival tool. Still, the leading traditional watchmaking houses continue to push the technical boundaries. You don’t get a sense of evolution when you […] Visit Diving Into The New Audemars Piguet Caliber 7138 - A Complicated Way To Celebrate The Brand’s 150th Anniversary to read the full article.
SJX Watches
We are pleased to announce the launch of the SJX Podcast, which is now an official part of our programming. The podcast will be regular and topical (though the very first instalment was an ad hoc collector conversation). In the official inaugural episode, editor Brandon Moore and SJX talk about the state of the industry and Swiss watch export figures, the developments at LVMH watches, including Louis Vuitton’s investment in a state-of-the-art manufacture and Zenith’s evolution into a watchmaker’s watchmaker. They also look ahead to Watches & Wonders 2025, and discuss what’s on the cards for brands big and small. The podcast is now live on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Addition March 8, 2025: YouTube link added.
Quill & Pad
The first association for many on hearing the word "Seiko" is likely to be affordable quartz watches or automatic divers. However, Seiko offers much more, particularly in terms of luxury timepieces. Grand Seiko, which became its own brand under the Seiko Group in 2017, produces some of the most competitive luxury watches on the market, rivaling the best Swiss brands at prices that are still (somewhat) attainable.
Monochrome
Last year, Audemars Piguet announced the end of the calibre 5134, the automatic movement that has powered most of its modern perpetual calendar watches for the past 10 years – mostly, the classic RO Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar, which performed its swan song with a limited edition made with John Mayer. But the 5134 was not […]
Monochrome
An article by Rob Memel, antiquarian horologist, professional certified watchmaker since 1984, and author of the book The Development Towards Huygens’ Spiral Spring (1660-1676), from which this article is a summary. About two years ago, I embarked on an in-depth investigation into another watch-related invention by Christiaan Huygens: the spiral spring on a balance wheel. […]
Monochrome
Hermès has a knack for interpreting time in a unique, highly poetical manner. Who can forget the wonderful Arceau Temps Suspendu, with its complication allowing you to suspend time on demand? Just ahead of Watches & Wonders 2025, Hermès releases new versions of two Arceau models: the Arceau L’Heure de la Lune, which tracks the […]
SJX Watches
Hublot has taken the covers off the Big Bang Unico Magic Ceramic, which the brand says is the world’s first timepiece to incorporate multi-coloured ceramic. While the case is fashioned from black ceramic, the standout feature is a bezel crafted in grey and blue ceramic, or more specifically, a dark grey ceramic base spotted with blue circles. Though the technical details of the two-colour ceramic are scarce at the moment – the patent is still pending according to Hublot – it appears the unique characteristic of the material lies in the fact that it is ceramic that has been coloured with two distinct pigments, as opposed to a single colour ceramic with an additional colour added. Initial thoughts For all of the criticism levelled at Hublot, the brand undeniably does well in materials innovation. Amongst its proprietary materials is Magic Gold, a gold-ceramic composite that was the first scratch-proof 18k yellow gold alloy. The Big Bang Unico Magic Ceramic underscores this focus on materials. Granted, the watch isn’t for everyone. I find the weird, spotty bezel unappealing, but the potential of the material and technology behind it is certainly interesting, especially if applied in a more stylish manner. The material is likely still experimental, since the new Big Bang is a limited edition of just 20 pieces with a hefty price tag of US$33,000, so it might take some time to see it deployed on a wider basis beyond the bezel. Magic Ceramic Apart from the bezel, the new ...
Monochrome
As we’re gearing up for the 2025 Formula One season, which has recently changed its official timekeeper, we’ve started to see some F1-dedicated watches being launched. IWC, the partner of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, already warmed us up with a colourful take on its simplest Pilot’s Watch, the Mark XX AMG Team watch. Now, […]
Fratello
I don’t have a lot of vintage watches on my wishlist anymore. Some, I was lucky enough to find over the years. Others, I moved on from or saw in the metal, which changed my perspective about them. Very few examples, though, still make my heart beat faster. I must admit that most of these […] Visit Behold The Magnificent Angelus Chrono-Datoluxe to read the full article.
Hodinkee
After acquiring Bucherer in 2023, Rolex is now shutting down the family's watchmaking brand, which was originally founded in 1888.
Fratello
Another Friday, another list! This week, we look at the brilliant and rich history of Omega Seamaster dive watches. The lineage started in 1957 with the introduction of the first Seamaster 300, which was part of Omega’s famous trilogy along with the first Speedmaster and Railmaster models. After that, the brand released many iconic dive […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Vintage Omega Seamaster Dive Watches to read the full article.
SJX Watches
On its face, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Date in CFT carbon is familiar. The aesthetic is the oversized, stylised, and modern look that defines the Royal Oak Concept (ROC), with aggressive pusher guards and a complex, open-worked dial. And this latest version has the added feature of a carbon composite case produced via Chroma Forged Technology (CFT) that adds both colour and luminosity to the material. But the ROC Split-Seconds is more than just another Royal Oak chronograph because of the cal. 4407 inside. Launched in the 2023 titanium model, the is a latest-generation in-house movement and a notably innovative rattrapante calibre. The ingenuity of the movement lies in the fact that is both a traditional, integrated split-seconds chronograph and self-winding – a feat achieved with an elegant and patented automatic mechanism. Initial thoughts The very first Royal Oak Concept in Alacrite of 2002 was an enormous, heavy watch. Since then, the design of the ROC has been refined to become more wearable, and more lightweight thanks to new materials. The ROC Split-Seconds is perhaps the most wearable to date. Even though it’s a big watch, it doesn’t actually feel that large; the curved, tonneau-like form clings to the wrist well. The look is typical ROC – technical, aggressive, and modern. While I like the look, it is a little over the top. The style is now; I am not sure how it will age. Visuals aside, the ROC Split-Seconds is int...
Fratello
Alpina has been on a roll lately. The Swiss watchmaker has been busy updating its collection with some great new models. While most of you will probably know the brand’s sports pieces, we have also seen some great watches inspired by its past, which goes back more than a century. Indeed, Alpina is a brand […] Visit Putting The Spotlight On The Best Modern Alpina Watches to read the full article.
Teddy Baldassarre
Back in 2023, LVMH and its high watchmaking workshop La Fabrique du Temps revived the Daniel Roth brand, which had been owned by Bulgari since 2000. Roth was a towering name in independent watchmaking, having been a peer of Philippe Dufour and Francois-Paul Journe. Though the brand only lasted from 1988 to 1995, its resurrection in 2023 was only made more glorious due to the long gap. The resurrected brand debuted with the Tourbillon Souscription, which has been followed up with the new Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription, a faithful remake of the original from the 1990s that was released at LVMH Watch Week 2025. The “Neo-vintage” craze has only gotten more popular in recent years, with the generation of watches sandwiched between vintage and modern gaining the respect and appreciation of collectors and newcomers alike. The Chopard L.U.C 1860 reissue from 2023 was one of the most celebrated neo-vintage reissues in recent years and I’d venture to say that this Roth will join the ranks. Staying true to the original aesthetics — with contemporary concessions for things like movement development — is a recipe for success in these small-batch, high-visibility watches. Small production numbers for relative rarity are helping to keep neo-vintage from becoming overexposed, but for how long? We’ll have to wait and see on that end, but for now let’s get back to the Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription. The simple, two-hand dress watch comes in that recognizable double-e...
Worn & Wound
We probably sound like a broken record, saying it over and over again, but there’s really nothing quite like a genuine surprise in this hobby. It’s just that there’s so much predictability, month after month and year after year, it’s naturally the quirky and strange stuff that stands out and makes us really take notice. There are also, sometimes, watches that come along that present a truly shocking value proposition, which for those of us with watch budgets that fluctuate but are very much finite, is something that really gets us excited. Lately, we’ve taken notice of a number of independent brands offering previously exclusive complications at prices that only a few years ago would have been unheard of. We can call this the Bel Canto Effect, if you’d like, because it’s a trend that, if it didn’t start with Christopher Ward, is still very much exemplified by their affordable chiming watch. Perhaps even more unlikely than Christopher Ward dropping a chiming watch in a haute horlogerie design language, now we have word of Sea-Gull’s release of an affordable split-second chronograph, a complication that for years has been associated with the highest end brands. The Sea-Gull Split-Second Chronograph Limited, as it’s known, is a $3,649 rattrapante chronograph presented in a classical style. It’s extremely under the radar, so much so that we genuinely wonder why more people are not talking about it. Just in case you need a refresher on what a split-secon...
SJX Watches
Hermès is a brand with a distinctive, often whimsical, visual identity that translates well across products, even on its most complicated watches like the Arceau Duc Attelé, which combines a triple-axis central tourbillon (containing a high-frequency escapement) with a minute repeater featuring novel “tuning fork” gongs. Large, thick, and very complex, the Duc Attelé still manages to capture the elegant aesthetic of the brand, even in subtle details of the H1926 movement, like horse-shaped hammers for the repeater. Customised for Hermès, the calibre has an intricate, dense construction but is recognisable as being produced by a specialist. Initial thoughts The Duc Attelé demonstrates the strength of the Hermès house style. On the front, it looks elegant despite the size, while the movement feels appropriate even though it is third party. The watch does sit big on the wrist, though the titanium version is a little lighter in weight and visually smaller due to its dark colours. But the Arceau case has tiny lugs, so it doesn’t feel clunky. And although the case is almost 20 mm high, a good part of that is due to the highly domed crystal that accommodates the tourbillon’s height. All of the design elements, however, give it an elegant feel. These include the Breguet numerals on the domed chapter ring and the “Lift” motif tourbillon cage modelled on the elevator in the brand’s flagship store in Paris. But more than anything else, this is a watch characterise...
![Introducing: The Ulysse Nardin Blast[Amoureuxpeintre]](https://www.fratellowatches.com/cdn-cgi/image/anim=false/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Ulysse-Nardin-BlastAmoureuxpeintre-1-2.jpg)
Fratello
Today, we have news of a limited-edition release from Ulysse Nardin - the Blast[Amoureuxpeintre]. This is an interesting take on the brand’s Blast, combining UN’s creative spirit with the artistic focus of an increasingly popular designer. Ulysse Nardin is well known for its distinct watches, which often feature skeletonized dials, highly complicated movements, or both. […] Visit Introducing: The Ulysse Nardin Blast[Amoureuxpeintre] to read the full article.
Monochrome
One of France’s oldest family-owned and run luxury companies, Hermès started life in 1837 as a producer of harnesses and saddles in Paris. Renowned for its impeccable artisanal craftsmanship and intrepid artistic flair, Hermès manages to endow its watches with a singular dash of poetry. The equestrian-inspired profile of the Arceau, which has hosted poetic […]
A Week in Watches is back and off to the races with ep 97, which covers a handful of cool new releases. Despite the beginning of the year slump, there’s still plenty to keep us excited, from a light and fast Longines to a precious metal Fears, to a new steel luxury hype-machine by Vacheron, and finally, another new Speedmaster. This episode was brought to you by the Windup Watch Shop. New to the shop is the G-SHOCK DW5000R-1A origin, a revamp of the very first G-SHOCK, some cool Casio x Pac-Man pieces, including a nerdtastic calculator watch in yellow, the futuristic Prevail field watches, and more – head to windupwatchshop.com to check them out for yourself. The post A Week in Watches Ep. 97: Longines, Fears, Omega, and More! appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Worn & Wound
Micro-indie brand Sartory-Billard, founded by Armand Billard and his friend Ludovic Sartory in 2015, is well-known for its custom bespoke timepieces. In a shift from its usual practices, the brand is set to release two new fully fleshed-out models featuring its standard SB04-E case: the Ruby Platinum, which will be a limited series, and the Tantalum Hand-Engraved, which will enter regular production. Both models aim to showcase the brand’s craftsmanship and expertise, a goal they seem to have achieved based on these brand supplied images. The Ruby Platinum watch features a dial centerpiece made from genuine ruby sourced from a responsibly harvested boulder in Tanzania, Africa. The ruby is crafted into dial inserts in Germany, just an hour away from the Sartory-Billard workshop. Because of the unique nature of the material, no two dials are identical; each displays distinct textures. Completing the dial is a fumé sunray-textured platinum-plated outer ring. Tantalum is one of the most challenging metals to work with due to its remarkable density and hardness. Engraving a delicate design on its surface requires great skill, which is exemplified in the intricate feather-like engraving found in the center of the Tantalum Hand-Engraved dial. Like the previous model, this one also features a surrounding ring; however, this one is made of solid tantalum and finished with a fumé sunray effect. Both watches have a 39.5mm diameter case, measuring 46mm from lug to lug and only 10....
Time+Tide
We asked our audience which 222 they'd prefer to have - and the results were quite surprising.The post Steel or gold? The Time+Tide community has a clear favourite Vacheron Constantin 222 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
Last week, Peter Speake returned to the independent watchmaking scene when he unveiled the first pieces from his new brand, PS Horology. Peter is something of a legendary figure in the indie watchmaking world. He is the co-founder of Speake-Marin, which launched in 2002 after Peter spent a period of time working as a watchmaker for Renaud & Papi in Le Locle, Switzerland. Speake-Marin is perhaps best known for the Piccadilly case design, named for the London district where Peter spent the early part of his career restoring vintage watches. The Piccadilly case, I’ve always felt, is something of an acquired taste. I’ve come to really love it, and see it as a symbol of an earlier era of independent watchmaking when these artisanal, handcrafted watches made in very small batches were not at the front of anyone’s mind. Times, of course, have changed for the better, and indies are currently having the quite the moment, but it’s worth remembering that a line can be drawn from any of the buzzy new indie watchmakers to surface in the last few years all the way back to Peter and his early 2000s contemporaries. To put it plainly, it’s great that he’s back. Peter founded PS Horology back in 2022 and has been working on the first collection ever since. The Tsuba watches seen here are expected to be the first of several projects for PS Horology in 2025. While it might not look like it on an initial glance, there’s actually connective tissue between the Piccadilly cases of...
SJX Watches
Diversity is arguably a strength – and a weakness – of the Speedmaster – and Omega is proving this with the Speedmaster Moonphase Meteorite. In contrast to the recent military-inspired Speedy, the latest model goes for exotic materials: the dial is made of lunar meteorite finished in either grey or black, while the moon phase sports twin moons similarly fashioned from meteorite. The moon phase display is a double moon that depicts the age of the moon in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Completing the celestial scene, the stars on the moon phase disc replicate the night sky when Apollo 11 landed on the Moon in 1969, as observed from Omega’s headquarters in Biel. Initial thoughts Maybe the new Speedmaster is an ironic reference to the “Moonwatch” nickname. In fact, it doubles the Moon reference with Moon meteorite fragments and the moon phase. But does the Speedmaster need to be dressed up with a moon phase and meteorite? Intrinsically, the new model has a few things going for it. The in-house movement inside is one of Omega’s top-of-the-line chronograph calibres. And it also has a scaled-down case that improves wearability. Now 43 mm, the watch has a more compact form than its chunky 44.25 mm predecessor. Despite the in-house movement and liberal use of meteorite, the Speedmaster Moonphase still feels pricey with a retail of US$17,100. That said, most recent Speedmaster models are expensive – this costs only US$1,500 more than the Speedmaster C...
Worn & Wound
2025 is the year of the snake in China, and Hublot has been creating special limited releases for the Chinese New Year since 2016. This year’s rendition, which has traditionally been implemented on Hublot’s Spirit of Big Bang has just been announced, and you and I both know, before even seeing images of the new watch – that there’s going to be a snake on it somewhere. By looking at the press images of this watch, it’s quite apparent that the snake theme is in the forefront of the design. It’s cleverly integrated into the serpent like shape of the sub-dial’s borders, which are entirely adjoined in gold plated fashion and flow effortlessly into each other. The snake theme doesn’t stop there, but actually continues on both the bezel and the rubber strap with the integration of a scale like engraving. While the year-end theme of the watch is a big attraction that will initially draw you in, the details of the high horology watchmaking is what’s really going to keep you intrigued. The watch case is fully ceramic and the bezel has been screwed down with visible screws. The watch also features a fully open dial setting, showing off the inner workings of chronograph calibre HUB4700, which is actually based on an original El Primero chronograph movement from 1969, of course with this modified variant having some upgrades such as the low friction silicon escape wheel. The watch is priced at $35,100, but is limited to a tiny production volume of 88 pieces. T...
SJX Watches
I was happy to see Peter Speake return with PS Horology and the Tsuba. Peter was one of the first independent watchmakers I got to know well on a personal basis, and I have followed his career for almost two decades now. I first met Peter sometime in 2005, either at Baselworld (it was my first time there) or in Singapore during his regular round-the-world tours. He was then a fresh face in independent watchmaking, having just founded his brand Speake-Marin in 2002. In the context of the period, when independent watchmaking was a truly niche segment, Peter was a star (although he is modest enough he might disagree). Founded by Peter and Daniela Marin, who were then married, Speake-Marin was a promising brand with many of the ingredients for success, including a strong aesthetic (thick, chunky, and ETA-based but I liked it), good watchmaking and quality thanks to Peter’s own skill, and of course Peter himself – the personality is as important as the product in independent watchmaking. The unique Majestic Monkey of 2008, one of the first custom Speake-Marin watches I saw in person Peter was not the only watchmaker I met around that time, but I got to know him better than most other indie watchmakers, as a result of an annual watch fair that took place in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital. Known as A Journey Through Time (AJTT), the watch fair was staged by YTL Corporation, a Malaysian conglomerate with diversified interests ranging from power generation to luxury shoppi...
Monochrome
About a month ago, out of the blue, Omega released a new, rather polarizing and unique-looking version of its emblematic chronograph, the Speedmaster Pilot Flight Qualified. Well, it wasn’t really out of the blue, but we’ll come back on that in a few. Colourful, tool-oriented and with a dial full of references to the world of […]
Worn & Wound
Over the holiday break, I frequented the local Chinese restaurant not once, not twice, but three times. And each time, before my General Tso was brought to the table, I would pore over the paper placemat, going to the list of everyone’s birth year in my head. Oh, he’s definitely a horse, I’d think. Her? A dragon…eh, I don’t see it. I, myself, am a Sheep, which makes sense considering I’m pretty much useless and wear a lot of wool. But the real star of the show is the Snake. Representing wisdom, rebirth, and vitality – I’m cautiously optimistic about what 2025 may bring for us. And that optimism is only fortified by the string of new watches that are coming from Longines right out of the gate for the New Year. Their latest limited-edition, a Conquest Heritage model designed to honor the Chinese zodiac, is a bold, thoughtful design, and a welcome addition to this year’s Lunar New Year offerings from some of our favorite brands. What’s noticeable first about this new edition to the Conquest Heritage line-up is the sunray gradient dial that’s as eye-catching as it is unique. Being a traditional color in the Chinese New Year tradition, red seems a fitting choice that also helps to set this specific reference apart from the more neutral dial colors of the line, which is all beige, black, and silvers. The gradient is a particularly smart choice, giving the lumed gold indices room to shine, while not being too vibrant against the stainless steel case. On th...
Monochrome
This is it… Here’s the last retrospective article of the year, retracing 2024 through the best watches per category. Following the best chronographs, the best dive watches or the best dress watches, we’re now unleashing the beasts. What if money was not an issue? What if there was no limit to either watchmakers’ creativity or […]
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