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Monochrome
Hamilton´s Performer is a relatively new series in the Jazzmaster collection, which comprises sporty, contemporary, and versatile watches, including seven 42mm Auto Chrono models. Classic in their appearance and with an undeniable wrist presence, these chronographs now face stiff competition from within, thanks to the arrival of the sleek, black-clad Hamilton Jazzmaster Performer Auto Chrono. […]
SJX Watches
Zenith’s latest release is an evolutionary take on its popular sports chronograph with an integrated bracelet: the Defy Skyline Chronograph Skeleton builds upon the original version by open working the dial and main plate of the El Primero calibre. The dial is skeletonised to form a star, Zenith’s longtime emblem and a recurring theme of its skeleton watches. Apart from the open-worked dial, the new Defy remains essentially unchanged from the standard model, keeping the same 42 mm octagonal case topped by a 12-sided bezel. Initial thoughts Zenith’s El Primero was a milestone as one of the first automatic chronograph calibres. The new Defy is equipped with the second-generation El Primero, the cal. 3600, which is one of the biggest strengths of the watch. Notably, the movement has a lightning chronograph seconds completing a full revolution every 10 seconds, allowing the chronograph to measure up to 1/10th of a second (if your fingers work the pushers fast enough). That said, the watch does feel a little derivative in terms of design. While the look is not particularly creative or original, it nonetheless presents a visually striking aesthetic. The combination of satin-brushed and polished surfaces on the case and bracelet are done well. Compared to other watches it resembles (from the likes of Audemars Piguet and Hublot), the Defy is arguably better value. Priced at US$15,500, the Defy Skyline Chronograph Skeleton is one of Zenith’s pricier offerings, but arguably...
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.
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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...
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...
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...
SJX Watches
On the back of the hefty, 10-year LVMH-Formula 1 sponsorship deal signed last year, TAG Heuer now returns as the official timekeeper of Formula 1, just in time for the sport’s 75th anniversary in 2025. This is a homecoming of sorts of TAG Heuer, which was official timekeeper for F1 for a decade from 1992. In fact, the brand’s roots in motorsports go back several decades - Heuer was the first luxury watch brand to display its logo on a Formula 1 car in 1969, and the first to sponsor a team in 1971 when it partnered with Scuderia Ferrari. And TAG Heuer famously signed Ayrton Senna as an ambassador in 1988, just before he became a champion driver. Jack Heuer (centre, in blue) at Ferrari in Maranello In fact, the brand name itself references F1: well before TAG Group acquired Heuer in 1985, the Saudi-owned group was already shareholder in McLaren and only sold its stake in the automaker and racing team last year. TAG Heuer’s return to F1 comes at an opportune time, with the sport having evolved into a global entertainment franchise under the ownership of Liberty Media. According to F1, it now boasts an audience of 750 million fans, many of whom are drawn into the sport by the hit Netflix series, and also an upcoming film starring Brad Pitt.
Teddy Baldassarre
Just announced by Seiko is a pair of limited-edition Prospex watches done in collaboration with Los Angeles Dodgers phenomenon Shohei Ohtani. The SBEJ023 and SBEJ025 are both takes on the 1968 Heritage Diver’s GMT, which was released back in 2023 as the first mechanical GMT in the Prospex collection. These two diver GMT watches will come in the iconic Dodger Blue colorway, with the SBEJ023 having a blue bezel with black dial and the SBEJ025 sporting a blue bezel with contrasting white dial. While not totally on theme here, I recall Ohtani wore a Grand Seiko SBGJ217 back in 2023 when he signed with the Dodgers. For a little context, these aren’t the first Seiko watches done in collaboration with Ohtani. The first was the Prospex Diver SBDC191, which came in out in 2023, while he still played for L.A.'s other baseball team, the Angels of the American League. That watch had the red seconds hand and dial text as well as Ohtani’s signature on the clasp. These new watches have the Ohtani’s number 17 highlighted in red on the GMT rehaut and his signature engraved on the bracelet clasp. The SBEJ023 and SBEJ025 share the same basics as the standard 1968 Heritage Diver’s GMT, recognizable for its vintage-inspired, Marine Master-esque design. Measuring 42mm wide, 12.9mm thick, and with a 48.6mm lug-to-lug measurement, these watches are water-resistant to 200 meters and boast a very well-made ceramic bezel. The real GMT nerds will be a little disappointed with the lack of ...
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Worn & Wound
Doxa, Doxa, Doxa. There’s a lot about the current incarnation of the brand to like and a lot that leaves us enthusiasts questioning what’s going on and why. Which honestly, is fine. It’s cool to see a brand experiment and find out what works for them, but a lot of people seem to expect a straightforward dive watch experience from the brand that draws from its strong history rooted in adventure and aquatic exploration. While I had some strong opinions, I did not “fill in the vacuum with my no-holds-barred opinion” (read Meg’s take on the Doxa Sub 200T Diamonds, it’s a good one). Clearly, the diamond-encrusted $9,400 take on this watch is not in my wheelhouse. But what about the $1,590 version that captures all of the classic Doxa charm in an extremely well-wearing package? It seems to have been overshadowed as of late by the diamond-laden version, but hopefully this hands-on can bring it back into focus a bit. While I’m not a huge Clive Cussler fan (never read anything by the guy), I don’t have any Jacques Cousteau documentaries queued up on my Youtube, and most of my time spent in the ocean is standing on the shore in knee-deep water trying to catch a striped bass at the expense of sleep, I do appreciate a good dive watch. I used to own a Doxa Sub 200, which I really loved and still miss from time to time. Doxa can make a heck of a watch and they always nail the wearability factor in the 200 lineup. Let’s take a look at what makes this diver an excell...
Worn & Wound
When I first met Rafael Guimarães a few months ago, Statera hadn’t crossed my radar in a big way. The small brand, which has a fair claim to being the first watch brand born and built in Brazil, had already sold through a few production runs of nice-looking watches, but the brand had yet to make a real splash or to break out from the typical microbrand mold. Their first few releases certainly showed evidence of an eye for quality and detail, but for Rafael and his longtime friend and co-founder Antonio Almir dos Santos Neto (the two have known each other since they were five), it wasn’t enough. “For the first watch, the ST01, we made the design, and then the watch was fabricated in France… it was more like a [proof of concept] to see if we are able to sell watches,” Rafael explained. The obvious next step was to turn inward, to move away from external manufacturing and create what would be (and now is) the first independent watch not only conceived in Brazil, but made there as well. The result is the ST02 Esmalte Grand Feu, a handsome take on the everyday watch born out of a unique perspective paired with a generation’s worth of accumulated knowledge. How We Learn The path to the ST02 was neither short nor simple. Reaching the next level when you live and work in a part of the world with no history of watchmaking isn’t easy, and it’s not made any easier by Brazil’s restrictive tax structure. “We are fascinated by métier d’art. and we are fascinated ...
SJX Watches
Independent watchmaking continued its hot streak in 2024, with interest and demand for this niche segment holding up better amidst an industry-wide slowdown. But surprisingly – or unsurprisingly depending on how you look at it – there were relatively few outstanding new creations from the indies. A handful, however, did stand out. We look at the team’s highlights of the year, which range from Konstantin Chaykin’s thinnest-watch-ever to the debut by Swiss-based Japanese watchmaker Takahiro Aigaki. Aigaki Direct-Impulse Tourbillon – Brandon Moore I still remember the moment I stumbled across Takahiko Aigaki’s Instagram profile earlier this year, because the close-up image of the tourbillon cage made me do a double take. Sure, it was well finished, but in 2024 good finishing no longer provides the competitive advantage it once did; the top end of the market is just too competitive. No, what struck me was the unusual double direct-impulse escapement. When the Direct-Impulse Tourbillon was finally revealed, it was worth the wait. While arguably a bit plain on the outside, the movement exhibits a degree of grace and technicality that is still quite rare. The watch is truly a sleeper, in the sense that the case and dial reveal little of the horological magic within. Daniel Roth Tourbillon – Brandon Moore It’s counterintuitive to be writing about the launch of the Daniel Roth brand in 2024, considering the man himself was one of the seminal independent watchmakers ...
Time+Tide
Hamilton Murph 38 or Seiko Alpinist SPB121? Which of the two field watches walks away the winner?The post VERSUS: The Hamilton Murph 38 comes up against the Seiko Alpinist SPB121 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
GaryG's first rule when it comes to collecting is to avoid setting too many exclusionary rules. With watches, he believes that it's the passion that separates collectors from investors and accumulators. Which brings him to another rule: deriving the full enjoyment from the things you own.
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SJX Watches
Over the last decade, metal alloy hairsprings seem to fallen out of favour across watchmaking, with even conservative, haute horlogerie brands like Breguet and Patek Philippe turning to silicon balance springs. Not to mention large-scale makers of sporty watches like Omega and Tudor, which already transitioned to silicon balance springs. Rolex, however, stands out. The Geneva marque continues to employ a hairspring fabricated of its proprietary blue alloy – the Parachrom hairspring. The Parachrom hairspring inside the cal. 4131 of the Cosmograph Daytona The advantages of alloy The use of blue Parachrom is rooted in the simple fact that the right metal alloy boasts performance that is at least on par with its silicon counterpart – while offering some distinct advantages missing in silicon. Alloy hairsprings are traditionally made of Nivarox (and its family of related alloys), a special alloy that neither oxidises nor change its dimensions with variations in temperature. Invented in 1933 and almost a century old, Nivarox is a mix of nickel and iron, making it a ferromagnetic alloy, thus susceptible to influence from magnetic fields. The cal. 3255 of the Day-Date 40 is equipped with a Parachrom hairspring. Image – Rolex In order to make its hairsprings more resistant to magnetism and to bypass the Swatch-imposed monopoly on Nivarox hairsprings (Nivarox-FAR being one of the key companies of Swatch Group), Rolex set out to develop its own hairspring alloy in the early 2...
Worn & Wound
A few weeks ago we told you about the Ressence Type 8 Indigo, a high craft variation on the most simple and accessible Ressence model. It turns out that the Type 8 only held the distinction of being the brand’s entry level timepiece for a few days after the launch of the Indigo, as the new Type 9 which the brand debuted mere hours later now represents the cleanest point of entry to the brand. The Type 9 has much of the same minimalist appeal as the Type 8 (the display is as straightforward as Ressence gets and not materially different from the Type 8) but the new watch offers a significant change to the case, and should give enthusiasts and collectors with a smaller wrist something to consider if they’ve ever balked at a Ressence for being a little too big. This is the smallest Ressence yet, coming in at 39mm in diameter in titanium. Unlike the Type 8, a 43mm watch with a flying saucer like shape, the Type 9 is more traditional and has small, short lugs to which a strap is mounted at either end of the case. The real space saving here comes from the addition of a bezel which acts as a minute track, whereas in other Ressence designs the outer minute track is simply at the dial’s perimeter. This tightens things up considerably, and also, in my opinion, offers a little more visual interest. With the minute track now outboard of the dial, options begin to open up with respect to finishing, color, materials, and so forth. The execution here isn’t particularly adventuro...
Monochrome
Swiss watchmakers are ushering in Chinese New Year with exclusive limited-edition models inspired by zodiac animals and Asian cultural traditions. To celebrate the year 2025, which is believed to bring personal growth, strategic planning and embrace transformation, Oris releases a special Year of the Snake timepiece, a modern, highly technical 44mm watch featuring a skeletonized […]
SJX Watches
Bovet’s latest creation, the Récital 21, is a perpetual calendar with retrograde date presented in a modern style. The large, 44.4 mm titanium case contains tinted sapphire dial that reveals the calendar mechanism with twist: the retrograde date hand is damped so it gradually returns to the origin rather than jumping instantaneously. Initial thoughts Bovet is best known for its large complications, some of which are elaborately and intricately styled. The Récital 21 is classic Bovet, but in a slightly more approachable format. It’s a complicated watch but in a more contemporary package, especially with the sapphire dial and luminous markings. The case is (slightly) more wearable, though it has the signature sloped “writing desk” case, which is not for everyone but distinctive nonetheless. As is typical for Bovet, the movement is in-house and impressively spec’ed. Notably, it incorporates the patented co-axial double seconds (that’s visible on the front and back), and a five-day power reserve. Sapphire dial The polished titanium case is 44.4 mm in diameter. In the usual Bovet style, the case slopes downwards from 12 to six o’clock, hence the “writing desk” nickname. Though large, it has short lugs for wearability. Offered in green, blue, or brown tint, the sapphire crystal dial reveals the calendar module that’s enhanced by a damping mechanism that deliberately slows the date hand during its return. All of the calendar indications can be adjusted via ...
Teddy Baldassarre
Just over two years ago, Longines launched the Ultra-Chron, a revival of the super-accurate 1968 original that gained notoriety as the world’s first high-frequency diver. Now Longines has released the Ultra-Chron Carbon, which is the brand’s first watch with a case made from carbon fiber, which, of course, is known for its lightweight durability. The watch, in fact, comes in at just 80 grams for the case and strap. The original Ultra-Chron Diver Ref. 7970 from 1968 was a cushion-cased steel watch that measured 41mm wide with 200 meters of water resistance. It was outfitted with the 5Hz Caliber 431 movement, which was accurate to 2 seconds per day. Our resident expert Mark Bernardo went into all the details of this model as well as the brand’s history with high-frequency timekeeping, in an article you can read here. The 2022 revival was a little bigger, coming in at 43mm wide, but also beefed up the water resistance to 300 meters. This new Ultra-Chron Carbon shares the same basic specs as this revival model but the blacked-out design kind of makes all the difference in terms of style versatility. Rather than a red minutes hand and matching red accents on the bezel, we see a sleek, monochrome aesthetic that is more stealth than sporty. The use of a contemporary material like carbon also offsets some of that overt “vintage-inspired” design language in favor of its own identity. The cushion-shaped case measures 43mm wide and 14mm thick with a 48mm lug-to-lug measu...
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Fratello
We know you’re probably reading this in your pajamas like you should on a Sunday morning. However, imagine you have an invitation to a more formal party during the coming Christmas holidays. Of course, you have to decide which watch you will wear. So, what if you had to choose between the Echo/Neutra Rivanera or […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Serica 1174 Parade Vs. Echo/Neutra Rivanera to read the full article.
Teddy Baldassarre
Glashütte Original’s Seventies collection is one of the two pillars that make up the German maker’s Vintage series, which pays tribute to the distinctive designs of two seminal decades in watchmaking, the 1960s and 1970s. Whereas the Sixties branch of the family is notable for more traditional, rounded cases, the Seventies watches stand apart, not just from the rest of the Vintage models but from the entirety of the Glashütte Original portfolio, with their softly squared “TV”-style cases, a hallmark of timepieces from that eponymous decade. The Seventies — like the Sixties, initially positioned as part of Glashütte Original’s Senator collection before becoming a Vintage model — debuted in its simpler, three-handed iteration in 2011, with the Chronograph following in 2014. In recent years, the original appears to have been gradually phased out (it’s no longer featured on G.O. 's website) to make way for more colorful and creative versions of the Chronograph, like the version with a sunray-finished, “Radiant Blue” dial featured here. This may have been a wise decision, as it is the more complicated model that brings more of the Saxon brand’s familiar formula to the table — namely, retro charm mixed with avant-garde modernity. Despite its era-evocative name, and many of its aesthetic hallmarks, the Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date is a watch that is decidedly at home in the 21st Century. As Exhibit A, take the large, rectangular “Panorama...
Monochrome
A new collaboration between our Dutch fellows from Fratello and independent watchmaker Czapek has just landed. Following their first and successful collaboration, which was a green take on the brand’s luxury sports watch with an integrated bracelet, the Antarctique Passage de Drake, the Dutch magazine is back with its signature Viridian Green colour, but on […]
Worn & Wound
There’s a bit of dialogue toward the end of Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory from 1971 that goes: Wonka: but Charlie… Don’t forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he wanted. Charlie: What happened? Wonka: He lived happily ever after. An inversion of the typical “be careful what you wish for” sentiment that puts a rosy tint on the morbid but wonderful film, I can’t help but hear it play in my head when I look at the current state of independent watches. Once, there was a dearth of brands and originality, and now, there is almost too much. Well, not almost; there is. We went from a time when unique options were few and far between, making any that popped up all the more rare and exciting, to now, when they are almost common. I’M PRETTY SURE WE’RE CHARLIE IN THIS STORY What an absurd state of affairs! Am I actually complaining about there being too much originality? Well, no, but yes (mainly for this article and humor). You see, I used to be easily seduced by these new and unique pieces, but now, I have decision paralysis. Oh, the horror! In reality, this is remarkable. We’ve wondered for years what brands would do when the vintage craze ran its course and a need for originality returned. Rather than purely wild watches that depart from tradition entirely (though there are many), we’ve seen smaller brands invest in research, development, and craft to create watches that, at least, I would not have thought possible a handful of yea...
SJX Watches
In an unexpected twist, Jérôme Lambert will return to the top job at Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC), some 11 years after he left the same role. Mr Lambert’s first spell as chief executive of JLC, which lasted from 2002 to 2013, was a major success. During the 11 years, the brand developed into a contender in haute horlogerie while maintaining its affordable appeal in simpler watches. He then moved on to run Montblanc for almost four years until early 2017, before rising to a series of senior jobs in Richemont, the luxury group that owns JLC. In 2018 Mr Lambert was named chief executive of the group, but in June 2024 he was reassigned. Mr Lambert became chief operating officer, while Nicolas Bos succeeded him as chief executive. In some ways, Mr Lambert is a JLC lifer – he began his professional career in 1996 in the finance department of JLC. When he was tapped to lead JLC in 2002, he was one of the youngest chief executives in watchmaking. The two chief executives who ran JLC after Mr Lambert never quite led the brand to the same heights, so many will be hoping his comeback also signals a return to earlier glory.
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