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Results for Swiss vs Japanese Watchmaking

4,703 articles · 45 videos found · page 75 of 159

First Look - Nomos Goes Gold, With Precious Editions of the Tangente Neomatik and Ludwig Monochrome
Nomos Goes Gold Nov 13, 2025

First Look - Nomos Goes Gold, With Precious Editions of the Tangente Neomatik and Ludwig

When you think about Nomos, besides the cool designs and youthful take on classic German watchmaking from Glashütte, you often picture a nice, relatively attainable watch in stainless steel. There are, of course, several higher-end models in the collection, such as the Lux and Lambda, and sometimes more luxurious special editions in gold, as recently […]

LVMH Acquires Stake in Movement Maker La Joux-Perret SJX Watches
Louis Vuitton LVMH just announced Nov 12, 2025

LVMH Acquires Stake in Movement Maker La Joux-Perret

The world’s largest luxury group, Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), just announced that it has taken a minority stake in Swiss movement manufacturer La Joux-Perret, an important supplier to the group’s watch brands as well as the industry at large. Owned by Citizen of Japan, La Joux-Perret also controls a few of its own brands, including Arnold & Son and Angelus, that will remain independent. The solar-powered TAG Heuer Formula 1 that relies on technology licensed from Citizen Initial thoughts LVMH’s investment in La Joux-Perret marks a logical next step in its long-term effort to consolidate movement production within the group. Such arrangements are becoming increasingly common - Hermès and Chanel, for instance, have taken similar minority stakes in movement makers Vaucher and Kenissi, respectively. LVMH, which owns TAG Heuer, Bulgari, Zenith, Hublot, and of course Louis Vuitton, had already hinted at this direction. Last year, Frédéric Arnault, son of Bernard Arnault and then the head of LVMH’s watch division, proposed expanding Zenith’s manufacture to supply movements to other group brands. That plan has been partly realised with Zenith now producing Bulgari’s Solotempo calibre. However, the idea of Zenith supplying a high-volume brand like TAG Heuer always seemed unlikely, which helps explain this latest move. La Joux-Perret’s solar technology for movements is particularly important to TAG Heuer, the most important watch brand in LVMH in terms o...

Introducing: The Roger Dubuis Hommage La Placide  - A 28-Piece Limited-Edition Biretrograde Perpetual Calendar Fratello
Roger Dubuis Hommage La Placide  - Nov 12, 2025

Introducing: The Roger Dubuis Hommage La Placide  - A 28-Piece Limited-Edition Biretrograde Perpetual Calendar

It certainly seems like 2025 is the year of anniversaries. Big names are celebrating many centuries of watchmaking, and many brands, young and old, are releasing exceptional commemorative creations. Some are intricate masterpieces that express their maker’s savoir-faire, while others represent an evolution of a historical benchmark creation. The Roger Dubuis Hommage La Placide is […] Visit Introducing: The Roger Dubuis Hommage La Placide  - A 28-Piece Limited-Edition Biretrograde Perpetual Calendar to read the full article.

Review: the Debut Releases from Kiwame Tokyo Worn & Wound
Kurono Tokyo are Nov 11, 2025

Review: the Debut Releases from Kiwame Tokyo

One of the most unexpected but delightful trends to emerge in watches over the last few years is the rise of the “Japanese Calatrava” style watch. Even if you haven’t heard this term thrown around, you probably know exactly the type of watch I’m talking about, as there have been several that have emerged relatively recently. The small dress watches made by Kurono Tokyo are an obvious example, and perhaps the genesis of it all. Brands like Kikuchi Nakagawa and Noaya Hida are also part of this conversation at the more luxurious end of the spectrum, and of course there are a variety of affordable watches that sit nicely in this category or are tangential to it, like Kuoe and Orient (which admittedly has been doing this for many, many years).  I like this trend because it feels like a small segment of the watch world is pushing back on the dominant force in watches over the last decade: the vintage inspired sports watch. I’m no hater – I own a few vintage inspired sports watches and can appreciate the good ones, but they are so ubiquitous it’s tough to see them as anything but generic. The simple Calatrava style watches coming out of Japan are of course similarly generic, but are a welcome flip side to the sports watch coin, and I like the idea that someone entering the hobby now might find themselves down a rabbit hole of small dress watches as opposed to Submariner-style divers. I’d be very curious what that collector has in their watch box five or ten years...

Introducing - The All-New Moritz Grossmann Perpetual Calendar Monochrome
Moritz Grossmann Nov 11, 2025

Introducing - The All-New Moritz Grossmann Perpetual Calendar

One of the founding fathers of watchmaking in Glashütte, together with F.A. Lange, Moritz Grossmann also established the German School of Watchmaking. This important name returned in 2008, when trained watchmaker Christine Hutter founded a manufacture of classically German, high-end watches. For its 17th anniversary, the brand is about to release a first: a watch […]

Interview: Marc Michel-Amadry, Managing Director of Girard-Perregaux SJX Watches
Girard-Perregaux Appointed Managing Director Nov 11, 2025

Interview: Marc Michel-Amadry, Managing Director of Girard-Perregaux

Appointed Managing Director of Girard-Perregaux (GP) in early 2025, Marc Michel-Amadry has over two decades of leadership experience spanning both the auction world and fine watchmaking. A former head of Sotheby’s Switzerland and Chief Commercial Officer of IWC, he steps into the role at a pivotal moment for GP, which has spent the past three years refining its identity as an independent brand, alongside its sister brand Ulysse Nardin in the Sowind Group. I sat down with Mr Michel-Amadry not long after he took office to discuss what he has in store. Our conversation touched on the enduring relevance of the Laureato, the renewed importance of in-house innovation, and his plans to restore GP to its former glory. The interview was edited for length and clarity. SJX: You’ve covered a wide range of the industry, having worked with niche brands, major brands, and big groups. Tell us how you ended up at GP. MMA: People often tell me I don’t have a typical career path. Usually, you start somewhere and stay within the same group. But for me, every step has to have a purpose. I’ve always wanted to work for a brand that means something. By coincidence, I was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds - the home of GP. It’s a brand I’ve always followed. I met Luigi Macaluso early in my career and was struck by the sophistication and beauty of the brand. Beyond its know-how and history, GP has always expressed its own design because everything is in-house. Luigi “Gino” Macaluso, forme...

Hands-on - Time in Orbit with the Vanguart Orb Flying Tourbillon Monochrome
Audemars Piguet Nov 10, 2025

Hands-on - Time in Orbit with the Vanguart Orb Flying Tourbillon

Vanguart is a young independent watchmaking brand founded by four men: Thierry Fisher, Jeremy Frelechox, Axel Leuenberger and Mehmet Korutürk. Both Leuenberger and Frelechox previously honed their skills at Audemars Piguet. Fisher is in charge of design. Korutürk has a background in finance and was working for a private equity company. Presented in 2021, their […]

10 Vintage Seiko Watches And Their Modern Interpretations Teddy Baldassarre
Seiko Nov 9, 2025

10 Vintage Seiko Watches And Their Modern Interpretations

Here in the watch world of the 21st century, we’re living in the heyday of the vintage revival, with just about every brand returning to their archive, and trying to find the magic heritage design that will resonate with a contemporary audience. Seiko has one of the most extensive catalogs – vintage or modern – in the watchmaking world, and in today’s guide, I’ll be digging into the brand’s past and matching it with the watch that has carried its torch into the present. With the 10 vintage Seiko watches below, we’re going to run the gamut of style and utility, but each piece is an icon of Seiko’s past and present in its own right.  62MAS: Seiko’s first diver At the time of its introduction in 1965, the Seiko 62MAS was the first dive watch to ever come out of Japan. Featuring a deep grey dial with luminous, trapezoidal indices, a unidirectional dive bezel in black, and a date window at three o’clock, the 62MAS was water resistant 150 meters, and actually accompanied members of the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition from 1966 to 1969.  For Seiko’s (and Japan’s) first diver, the brand has gone the heritage reissue route, releasing a faithful modern take on the watch with the Seiko Prospex SPB143. Despite being in the brand's more expensive Luxe tier, I would say the SPB143 is among the brand’s most popular watches at the moment. Even outside of its heritage connections, the SPB143 is a capable, versatile piece that’s as good-looking as it is ...

The French Connection: Trilobe’s Parisian Workshop SJX Watches
Breguet Lépine Nov 6, 2025

The French Connection: Trilobe’s Parisian Workshop

Gautier Massonneau didn’t set out to become a watchmaker; he just wanted a nice watch. Nearly a decade later, the thirty-something Frenchman finds himself on the verge of re-establishing industrial watchmaking in the French capital with Trilobe. His partner in this evolution, Volcy Bloch, has helped steer Trilobe from design-led start-up to a vertically integrated enterprise capable of producing its own movements and, increasingly, of charting its own future. Having surrounded himself with an experienced team of watchmakers and engineers in the city’s upscale 9ᵗʰ arrondissement, Mr Massonneau has built something quietly radical: a young brand that began as an idea sketched in a Paris apartment that is now in transition to becoming a full-fledged manufacture. Initial thoughts It’s difficult to discuss the rebirth of French watchmaking without acknowledging the turbulence of the past half-century. France was once a powerhouse of horological innovation, home to Breguet, Lépine, and the great marine chronometer makers of the 18th and 19th centuries, but the industrial base began to erode after the Industrial Revolution and never truly recovered. By the late-twentieth century, the last national movement manufacturers had either collapsed or been acquired, their ambitions thwarted by globalisation and Switzerland’s ascendance. Lip, for example, was an early pioneer in electronic timekeeping, but the company’s head start wasn’t enough to insulate them from the rap...

TAG Heuer Honors Racing Legend Ayrton Senna With Two New Formula 1 Chronographs Fratello
TAG Heuer Honors Racing Legend Ayrton Nov 5, 2025

TAG Heuer Honors Racing Legend Ayrton Senna With Two New Formula 1 Chronographs

Few names are as closely linked in motorsport-themed watchmaking as TAG Heuer and Ayrton Senna. The latest TAG Heuer Ayrton Senna editions continue that relationship with two Formula 1 chronographs that pay tribute to the Brazilian driver’s legacy. Rather than chasing nostalgia, these models acknowledge Senna’s influence with a modern interpretation. Both watches - one […] Visit TAG Heuer Honors Racing Legend Ayrton Senna With Two New Formula 1 Chronographs to read the full article.

Everything You Need to Know About this Year’s Vortic Military Edition Releases Worn & Wound
Hamilton Nov 4, 2025

Everything You Need to Know About this Year’s Vortic Military Edition Releases

Next week is Veterans Day, which for the last several years has marked an important moment for Vortic, the Colorado based watch brand specializing in repurposing vintage pocket watch movements and dials into wrist worn cases that serve as special tributes to America’s watchmaking past. Each year on Veterans Day, Vortic releases their Military Edition, a special series of watches that incorporate movements and dials sourced from watches commissioned by the United States military. The watches have been a big hit for Vortic since their introduction, usually selling out within minutes of going on sale. They draw not only watch collectors, but of course have a natural appeal to history lovers and collectors of military odds and ends – they really thread the needle perfectly across multiple bands of enthusiasm. This year’s release has some additional special significance as a total of three distinct options will be available when these watches launch, including the first ever Vortic watches running on a vintage Swiss movement.  A quick recap of what the Military Edition actually consists of as a watch is probably the best place to start. Watches in the Military Edition are sourced from the AN5740-1 pocket watch, also known as the “Master Navigational Watch”, built to the specs of the Army Air Corp during World War II by Elgin, Waltham, and Hamilton. As with other historic watches built to military specs, the dials were standardized across all manufacturers, and each M...

Hands-on - The Elegant and Refined Seiko Presage Classic Series SPB529 Monochrome
Seiko Presage Classic Series SPB529 Nov 4, 2025

Hands-on - The Elegant and Refined Seiko Presage Classic Series SPB529

The Seiko Presage Classic Series has been on a quiet roll. Last year’s SPB463/465/467 trio set the tone with soft, bowl-shaped cases, curved dials inspired by silk, and a 3-day automatic movement that made the Presage feel both more Japanese and more purposeful. The open-heart SPB469/471 extended the idea with radial “raw silk” textures and […]

Introducing: A Complicated Trio Of One-Offs From Vacheron Constantin With Astronomical Themes Fratello
Vacheron Constantin Nov 4, 2025

Introducing: A Complicated Trio Of One-Offs From Vacheron Constantin With Astronomical Themes

If you’re celebrating 270 years of uninterrupted watchmaking history, you’ve seen it all, and sometimes you need to find new challenges to keep things exciting. A new collection of Les Cabinotiers timepieces titled La Quête (The Quest) keeps the watchmakers at the world’s longest continually operating watch brand on their toes and the collectors happy. […] Visit Introducing: A Complicated Trio Of One-Offs From Vacheron Constantin With Astronomical Themes to read the full article.

30 Of The Best Titanium Watches Teddy Baldassarre
Nov 3, 2025

30 Of The Best Titanium Watches

Titanium is by no means a new material in the watch industry. In fact, it’s been used on a commercial level in case construction for more than 50 years. Titanium in its raw form as a structural metal is 40% lighter than stainless steel while still just as hard. Among its appeal for watchmaking purposes are the facts that it is also highly resistant to corrosion by the elements as well as being hypoallergenic. There are different grades of titanium as well, which offer different characteristics based on how it’s alloyed with other metals. Titanium ranges in color from dark gunmetal grey to a steely silver which gives it versatility in different applications. Perhaps the most enticing aspect of titanium, particularly from the consumer side, is that despite its high-quality characteristics, there isn’t a massive discrepancy between its price versus that of stainless steel. With that in mind, we've compiled a list of 30 outstanding titanium watches in a range of price categories. Citizen Promaster Super Titanium Armor  Case Size: 41 mm, Integrated 23.5 mm Bracelet, Thickness: 10.5 mm, Lug-to-Lug: 43.7 mm, Water Resistance: 100 m, Movement: Eco Drive J810, Crystal: Sapphire, Price: $625 In 1970, Citizen launched the very first titanium wrist watch called the X-8 Cosmotron Chronometer. Today, Citizen uses what it calls Super Titanium, a titanium alloy coated with a proprietary hardening agent that increases the hardness of the metal to five times that of stainless steel. ...

First Look - The New Louis Erard x Astro Boy Brings Pop Culture to the Wrist Monochrome
Louis Erard x Astro Boy Brings Nov 3, 2025

First Look - The New Louis Erard x Astro Boy Brings Pop Culture to the Wrist

Released just three weeks ago, Louis Erard surprised the watchmaking scene with its first integrated sports watch, the 2340. A sporty-chic titanium and steel watch with a sophisticated integrated bracelet, the 2340 marked a radical, new direction for the brand, which has relied extensively on its classic Regulator watch for numerous collaborations. Surprising us yet […]

Why Every Watch Collector Needs A “Calatrava” Fratello
IWC Calatrava” Cal 89 Nov 3, 2025

Why Every Watch Collector Needs A “Calatrava”

There’s something about a classic dress watch that resonates beyond fleeting trends. For me, it all started with the vintage IWC “Calatrava” Cal. 89 that I inherited from my grandfather. It is a watch from a bygone era when watchmaking was all about understated elegance, mechanical mastery, and timeless design. Recently, my Fratello colleagues discussed […] Visit Why Every Watch Collector Needs A “Calatrava” to read the full article.

The Best Rolex Blue Dial Watches Teddy Baldassarre
Rolex Nov 1, 2025

The Best Rolex Blue Dial Watches

When you think of Rolex, the first colors your mind usually conjures up are green and gold, long the emblematic colors of the Swiss power brand and its world-famous “crown” logo. (Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf is said to have settled on these colors because they symbolized wealth and success.) Blue, on the other hand, is not a color that most watch aficionados readily associate with Rolex, though many will associate it with other watch brands, like Breguet, Breitling, and Rolex’s own little brother, Tudor. However, when Rolex does decide to do blue - whether it’s for dials, bezels, or some combination of both - it does so in a way that really speaks to the brand’s avid fan base. Over the years, some blue-dialed Rolex watches, in fact, are not only popular but have become recognized as classics. Here are seven Rolexes with blue dials - some discontinued and collectible, others still available in the current collection - that have demanded enthusiast attention. (Price estimates for the discontinued models on the list are courtesy of WatchCharts.) Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust 41, Ref. 126334 ($11,100) Rolex released the Datejust in 1945, and the model is today regarded as one of the world’s most classically elegant dress watches. The Datejust brought two now-familiar elements to the world of watch design, one of which can be found throughout the watch industry, the other being still closely associated with Rolex. The first was the addition of a date disp...

The Eight Best Italian Watch Brands in 2026 Teddy Baldassarre
Nov 1, 2025

The Eight Best Italian Watch Brands in 2026

Watchmaking is a trade that draws artisans and enthusiasts from around the globe, though as an industry it has taken root in only a relative handful of nations. Switzerland, of course, is widely recognized as the world leader in the horological arts, but nations including Japan and Germany have also made a name for themselves on the world watchmaking stage. As watch connoisseurship grows in the 21st century, former watchmaking powers like Great Britain, the United States, and France have started increasing their footprint in the industry. Italy, another country historically renowned for its meticulous craftsmanship and bold, stylish design language, has exerted its own small but impactful influence on the world of watches: it’s the birthplace of Panerai, for example, a brand that essentially opened the door for old-school military tool watches to enter the rarefied air of luxury. It’s also the ancestral home of Bulgari, which, despite being more famous for its jewelry, has earned awestruck respect in the watch world for its record-breaking, boundary-pushing ultra-thin complications. Even Italy’s world-famous luxury sports-car marques - Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati - have exerted a muse-like influence on watchmakers worldwide, in both design and technology, often through direct partnerships. Watches actually made in Italy, however, are relatively few - Panerai and Bulgari are far too rooted in Switzerland nowadays to be considered for this list - but each co...

Who Was Roger Dubuis? - The Life And Work Of The Master Watchmaker With A Taste For The Extravagant Fratello
Roger Dubuis ? - Nov 1, 2025

Who Was Roger Dubuis? - The Life And Work Of The Master Watchmaker With A Taste For The Extravagant

So far, we’ve introduced you to Abraham-Louis Breguet, who set up shop 250 years ago, and the “Breguet of the 20th Century,” English watchmaker and inventor of the Co-Axial escapement, George Daniels. In the spirit of independent watchmaking and the brand’s 30th anniversary, Fratello now invites you to get acquainted with Monsieur Roger Dubuis (1938–2017), […] Visit Who Was Roger Dubuis? - The Life And Work Of The Master Watchmaker With A Taste For The Extravagant to read the full article.

Introducing - Launching on Kickstarter, the new Northern Watches NW1 Bronze Age & NW2 Northerner Monochrome
Oct 31, 2025

Introducing - Launching on Kickstarter, the new Northern Watches NW1 Bronze Age & NW2 Northerner

Northern Watches, launched by the Norwegian-born and Swiss-based watchmaker Stian Lofstad, arrives with a clear message: show the whole day at a glance, keep the design clean, and build it in Switzerland with proven movement. The debut range splits into two references, the bronze-cased NW1 Bronze Age and the steel NW2 Northerner, but the concept […]

Aubert Ramel Debuts with the Ouréa SJX Watches
Greubel Forsey Oct 31, 2025

Aubert Ramel Debuts with the Ouréa

While Aubert and Ramel is a new brand, and the Ouréa is a new watch, Thomas Aubert and Alexis Ramel-Sartori aren’t new to independent watchmaking, both having worked for a prominent name in the space. That experience is evident in a strong – and decidedly on-trend – debut that stands out even in a crowded market. Initial Thoughts It seems there are many finely decorated time-only watches on the market today; the two contributed to some of the better ones in their earlier careers. Now the pair strike out under their own name, and unsurprisingly, their first watch is quite good. Though the duo seem to know that already, as they have priced it close to, just a little below, leading independents. The Ouréa’s “scraped” dial brings to mind the wildly successful Chronomètre Artisans from Simon Brette. That probably isn’t coincidental, as the two both worked for Simon Brette. However, I perceive an even stronger, and more general, influence of Greubel Forsey in the Ouréa. It also calls back to Thomas Aubert’s Séléné, winner of last year’s F.P. Journe young talent competition. The scintillating teal accents, applied by atomic layer deposition, are a nice touch to set the watch apart, and the hands are incredibly well made. Interestingly, the filling in the hands is white lacquer rather than luminous material. That seems like a missed opportunity as the appearance would be nearly identical if it were lumed. It is also a shame that Mr Aubert’s recoiling sho...