37,567 articles · 3,257 videos found · page 77 of 1361
Monochrome
As one of the most admired independent watchmakers with a hallmark style defined by elegant understatement, it is hard to believe that Laurent Ferrier’s brand was established just 15 years ago. A third-generation watchmaker and car racing enthusiast, Laurent Ferrier (Geneva, 1946) was about to retire after a 37-year stint at Patek Philippe when his […]
Teddy Baldassarre
Watchmaking is a centuries-old craft, and as such, there are brands operating today with no shortage of heritage, not only stewarding the industry as a whole, but also fostering its continued cultural relevancy. Modern relevancy is vital to a crop of young brands looking to make their own mark on history. The complexity of the industry, and the purpose that watchmakers serve in a modern society, may have shifted, but their importance, and indeed their existence, says something deep about the value that humanity places on these things. Today, we find a vast landscape of watch brands and watchmakers operating, providing the most diverse range of watch offerings available to the public than any other time in history. This also begs the question: which are the best? Settling on the best watch brands operating today is no small task, and of course involves a heavy measure of subjectivity. That said, we can bring some structure to the table in an attempt to qualify the very best by an assortment of metrics, from industry leaders, to gateway brands, and even some wild cards that have the potential to shake things up. But what makes a watch brand great? Is it a consistent history of growth and innovation? Annual sales volume? Number of horological contributions made over time? Wholly verticalized manufacturing? Or is it something a little more amorphous, like public sentiment and goodwill, or risks being taken that net a positive influence on the industry as a whole? As with most ...
Monochrome
As every year, it is time for the watch industry to celebrate watchmaking, watchmakers and watches in general. The so-called 2025 Oscars of the Watchmaking industry, the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève or GPHG 2025, is about to begin, and the best watches introduced during the year are about to be awarded. From time-only watches […]
Fratello
On this week’s episode of Fratello Talks, Nacho and RJ sit down with Claude Greisler, co-founder and master watchmaker at Armin Strom. Together, they explore Claude’s journey from a young apprentice to leading one of Switzerland’s most technically inventive independent brands. The trio discusses how Armin Strom evolved from a workshop known for skeletonization to […] Visit Fratello Talks: With Claude Greisler Of Armin Strom to read the full article.
SJX Watches
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...
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Teddy Baldassarre
In the wild world of watches, the words “affordable” and “complicated” are most often mutually exclusive. The more complicated a piece is, I think, the more we all brace ourselves to expect the correlation of a dramatic surge in price. It’s par for the course. But in recent years, there have been some watchmakers out there that have dared to do the unexpected, to bring high complications down to the realm of mortal purchasing power. As always, measuring affordability remains a personal conundrum, but there is no denying that there are now options for perpetual calendars, jump hours, and the like that are now paired with a more easily digestible price tag. In today’s guide, I’m tipping my hat to the various watch brands out there that have invested time and resources into leveling the playing field, crafting pieces of high horology that are more accessible than ever before. Across 10 pieces, we’re running the gamut of style and utility, but each piece is unique in its own way, and definitely worthy of your consideration if you’re looking for a complicated watch at a not-so-complicated price point. Christopher Ward Bel Canto Case: 41mm Material: Grade 5 Titanium Movement: Caliber FS01 Automatic Water Resistance: Price: Starts at $3,995 The only logical jumping off point for a guide such as this is with the watch that revolutionized haute-horology bells and whistles at an unheard-of price tag: the Bel Canto from British maker Christopher Ward. You’ve...
Fratello
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.
Worn & Wound
Ah, the moon. Romantic, mysterious, and the subject of many Creative Writing 101 poems, our closest celestial body has also wormed its way onto many a watch face over the years. Moonphase watches evoke a sense of sophistication and elegance, and tend to decorate watchmakers’ dressier lines, despite their somewhat subversive practicality. Farer’s moonphase collection is no exception; first launched in 2023, it took one of watchmaking’s oldest complications and applied it to the British brand’s own design ethos. Here in 2025, we have two new references to pad out that lineup: The Stratton and Burbidge Eastern Arabic Editions. Taking the same basic design of the rest of the line, the new Moonphase models are wrapped in a 38.5mm cushion case with curved sides that wear a “grain twist” texture. The case scallops in the 43.8mm between the lugs to make the strap sit flush, and a rounded crown with a solid bronze cap finishes the vintage-adjacent case look. Inside, both Moonphase models are powered by a Sellita SW288-1 M Elabore Grade movement, with blued screws and a Farer-embossed bridge. The Sellita movement allows for a 45-hour power reserve, and hour, minute, seconds, date, and of course, moonphase functions. Where the models differ is in their case material and dial design. The Stratton Edition-named for Frederick Stratton, a WWI veteran, mathematician, and astronomer who would eventually serve as Director of the Solar Physics Observatory, among many other ...
Worn & Wound
Joseph Bulova was just twenty-four when he founded a company that would revolutionize American watchmaking. Immigrating to the United States from Bohemia in 1870, he founded the J. Bulova Company in 1875 on New York City’s Maiden Lane, specializing in jewelry and watch and clock repair. The business grew, and by 1911 the Bulova Company began producing table clocks and pocket watches. The next year, Joseph Bulova opened a Biel, Switzerland plant for the mass production of watches. The J. Bulova Company was reincorporated as the Bulova Watch Company in 1923, symbolizing its shift into watch production. Joseph Bulova was just twenty-four when he founded a company that would revolutionize American watchmaking. Immigrating to the United States from Bohemia in 1870, he founded the J. Bulova Company in 1875 on New York City’s Maiden Lane, specializing in jewelry and watch and clock repair. The business grew, and by 1911 the Bulova Company began producing table clocks and pocket watches. The next year, Joseph Bulova opened a Biel, Switzerland plant for the mass production of watches. The J. Bulova Company was reincorporated as the Bulova Watch Company in 1923, symbolizing its shift into watch production. The post A History and Guide to Bulova appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Fratello
Good morning, and welcome to another Sunday Morning Showdown. We’ve had a couple of battles between dressy watches in the previous weeks, so we thought it would be good to return to our more regular program of proper sports watches. This week, Omega launched its updated Dark Side of the Moon collection, which we couldn’t […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Top Gun Ceratanium Vs. Omega Speedmaster Dark Side Of The Moon “Black/Black” to read the full article.
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Fratello
Would you rock a stone-dial watch? I would. And I also could. Previously, only a handful of brands ventured into stone dials, and those that did reserved them for highly expensive pieces. Today, however, technological advancements have made stone dials far more accessible to produce. This benefits watchmakers and watch fans: smaller brands can now […] Visit Rock On! Stone-Dial Watches For Every Budget - Including Dennison, Piaget, Baltic, And Rolex to read the full article.
Time+Tide
Hublot's offering a unique customisation program for these 5 Spirit of Big Bangs, with customers able to choose different bezels and straps.The post Hublot unleashes five new Spirit of Big Bang Tourbillons with a fresh twist of customisation appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
Switzerland, Germany, and Japan make up my “big three” of the watchmaking world, with France on the rise. Yet, of all these hubs, Japan has been slow to embrace the microbrand trend. Big brands, including Seiko, Grand Seiko, Citizen, Orient, and Casio, dominate the market. Recently, however, independents such as Kurono Tokyo, Hajime Asaoka, Kikuchi […] Visit Introducing: The Kiwame Tokyo Kurotsuki And Usuki Models to read the full article.
Monochrome
For three decades, the Cartier Prize for Watchmaking Talents of Tomorrow (or Prix des Talents Horlogers de Demain in French) has been a unique opportunity for aspiring young watchmakers, offering them both recognition and a platform to shape the future of the craft. Launched in 1995, the Prize embodies Cartier’s commitment to preserving centuries-old savoir-faire […]
Fratello
It’s always a pleasure to return to Geneva. The lake, the atmosphere, and, of course, the watch industry coming together make it feel like home for a week. Compared to Watches and Wonders, Geneva Watch Days has a different rhythm, feeling a little more relaxed but no less important. For me, it’s as much about […] Visit My Highlights From A Week In Switzerland For Geneva Watch Days to read the full article.
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Monochrome
There’s no stopping Manuel Emch’s relentless drive to democratise watchmaking by producing highly original content and métiers d’art dials, thanks to collaborations with designers, artists, studios and artisans for Louis Erard. The latest collaboration is a surprising marriage of traditional embroidery executed with a machine designed to bond microcircuits reprogrammed by Wire Art, Switzerland, to […]
Monochrome
Earthen Company is a new brand for 2025, based in Hong Kong and founded by watch enthusiasts. As co-founder Johnathan Chan (also one of the co-founders of the Horology Club) puts it, “We’re collectors and designers first, not watchmakers.” The emphasis is on modern materials with a retro vibe, so the team designed a trio […]
Monochrome
Bovet is a name synonymous with artistry and haute horlogerie, its timepieces often balancing traditional decorative crafts with very complex mechanics. Under the guidance of Pascal Raffy, the company has become one of the most vertically integrated manufactures in Switzerland, producing everything from cases and dials to hairsprings in-house. In 2023, the brand took a […]
Fratello
I am sure that most of you have read about Switzerland being hit with the harshest tariffs of all European countries last week. A whopping 39% tariff on goods imported to the US from the Alpine country came into effect on August 7th. The watch world is shaking as a result. Today, I would like […] Visit US Import Tariffs On Swiss Watches-How They Affect Watch Brands And Enthusiasts to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Part I of our story on the evolution of hairspring materials covered temperature compensation along with the development of the first specialised balance spring alloy, Elinvar. The story brought us to the 1920s, when scientist and horologist Charles-Edouard Guillaume (1861-1938) finished his work on nickel-iron alloys and watchmakers begun embracing Elinvar springs paired with mono-metallic balances. In this second part we turn to newer hairspring alloys, like the now-ubiquitous Nivarox. Then we look at today’s landscape and the future, touching on research done by the Swatch Group with alternative, niobium-based alloys and also the specialised but obscure Seiko SPRON 610 hairspring. Lastly we discuss silicon springs, which are growing more prevalent across a range of timepieces. Elinvar’s weaknesses Elinvar was by far the greatest breakthrough in self-compensating alloy hairsprings at the time. Guillaume considered Elinvar good enough and not needing further improvement - unsurprisingly since he was its inventor - but other watchmakers and engineers continued to experiment with iron-nickel compounds because Elinvar’s inherent properties made it a good, but imperfect, material. Even though the alloy behaved predictably with temperature changes, its physical properties were not ideal to begin with. Elinvar was a soft metal, which posed its own suite of problems for spring applications. The importance of softness in terms of hairspring performance is not related ...
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SJX Watches
In the world of independent watchmaking, Phimphrachanh – pronounced “fin-fra-chan” – is a name worth learning. Born in France, Dann Phimphrachanh is a Portuguese citizen with Laotian heritage who produces watches in Switzerland. That multicultural heritage that informs his approach to horology, personified by the Seconde Vive, his first wristwatch. The Phimphrachanh surname, inherited from his Laotian grandfather, a political figure in Laos, speaks to this lineage, but Dann’s professional and personal identity is firmly rooted in Portugal. After training in Lisbon’s watchmaking school and working at traditional Swiss watch brands, Dann set out to build his first watch on his own terms: by hand, with minimal industrial tools, and a commitment to preserving classical methods in a modern context. In a world where “independent watchmaking” can sometimes feel like just another label, Dann reminds us what it really means. The Seconde Vive, the result of years of solitary work, is both a technical achievement and a reflection of a deeper pursuit, a journey shaped by tradition, silence, and the slow mastery of time itself. The Seconde Vive Origins When Dann first left for Switzerland, he carried with him an image shaped by the glossy pages of watchmaking magazines, a world where the watchmaker was portrayed as a solitary figure, pursuing perfection in a quiet, idyllic workshop. “It was that image I went looking for,” he recalls. Reality, of course, was more co...
Worn & Wound
Happy first weekend of August, and welcome to another new release summary! Would that make it a “summery” summary? Bad alliterative jokes aside, we’ve seen some exciting new pieces from big-name watchmakers and microbrands alike. Rounding out this release list are a colorful new IWC Top Gun collab, a Jaeger-LeCoulture that shoots for the stars, a meteoric Bremont with lofty aspirations, and a Minase that brings a little winter chill to the summer sun. Read on, and let us know if there is a new release that you think we missed out on in the comments! IWC Schaffhausen Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Top Gun Miramar Far from their first Top Gun release, IWC’s new chronograph may not seem that exciting at first glance. But the new Miramar edition has a secret weapon: a Pantone hue of the same name. Other Top Gun IWCs have been made available in shades of black, gray, and beige, which although appropriate for the military-theme, aren’t terribly exciting from a color perspective. The Miramar, then, stands out with its unapologetically cheery blue, inspired by the light blue t-shirts worn by TOPGUN flight instructors under their flight suits. It’s not just the color that gives the Miramar an edge, though. Design-wise, the left-leaning subdials at the 12, 6, and 9 o’clock positions, balanced out by the dual date and day windows, provide for a handsomely readable aesthetic. The typeface is characteristic of other IWC Top Gun watches, with rounded sans serif numeral...
Monochrome
Credor is often regarded as being a connaisseur’s brand, one of those beguiling watchmakers known and appreciated by a small group of deeply devoted watch collectors and enthusiasts. Part of the Seiko corporation, Credor represents the high-end side of the company, combining the most special traditional craftsmanship techniques with Japanese watchmaking artistry. Although it has […]
Monochrome
Dutchman Brendan Horneman, an independent watchmaker and teacher at the Dutch national school for watchmakers, goldsmiths and jewellers in Schoonhoven, is set to relaunch his own brand with a brand new, and highly original watch. The Tree of Life was his first work made for the public, back in 2018, under the name Kneijnsberg & […]
Monochrome
It’s something we’ve told over and over again. Watchmaking isn’t only Swiss. Watchmaking is global and has, historically, been present all over the world. Surely, with industrialisation and the effects of the Quartz crisis, three giant hubs have emerged: Switzerland for high-end watches, Japan with its immense conglomerates and China, the silent factory… Italy surely […]
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