Deployant
TGIFriday: How to take large format portraits
Master watchmaker Rexhep Rexhepi was in Singapore recently. Here is the Behind The Scene of the portrait session using my Sinar large format camera.
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Deployant
Master watchmaker Rexhep Rexhepi was in Singapore recently. Here is the Behind The Scene of the portrait session using my Sinar large format camera.
Worn & Wound
Isotope initially piqued my interest two years ago with their uniquely design-forward Hydrium “Will Return” dive watch. This timepiece was intentionally crafted to resemble the iconic “Will Return” sign often seen in shop windows, and its “Why not?” approach left a lasting impression on me. Fast forward two years, and Isotope, founded in 2016 by José and Joana Miranda and headquartered in England, has expanded its Hydrium line with the Hydrium California. This watch, like its predecessors, boldly defies the conventions of typical dive watches, drawing inspiration from Isotope’s own heritage as much as from classic dive watches from the past century. $1115 Hands-On: the Isotope Hydrium California Case Stainless steel Movement Landeron Automatic Dial Black Lume Yes Lens Sapphire Strap FKM Rubber Water Resistance 300 meters Dimensions 40 x 48mm Thickness 12.9mm Lug Width 22mm Crown Screw down Warranty Yes Price $1115 When the Hydrium Califonia first arrived the first thing I noticed was its case. The starkly uniform bead-blasted finish, which reduces the risk of unwanted reflections that may attract predators during ocean adventures according to Isotope, immediately let me know I could expect this quirky dive watch to be utilitarian not only by design, but also in practice. I eagerly strapped it to my wrist and, despite its generous thickness of 14.9mm, including the double-domed Sapphire Crystal, was pleased to learn that it wears true to its 40 mm diame...
Hodinkee
The A. Lange & Söhne CEO will discuss the brand's very own way of watchmaking, philosophy and future.
Time+Tide
The styles of the 1980s are possibly the most revered through rose-tinted glasses, with nostalgia contributing to the global success of shows like Stranger Things and endless Sci-Fi franchises. It’s also a praised era of motorsports, with turbocharged cars heralding heroes like Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. As a brand with racing in their DNA, … ContinuedThe post The Depancel Serie-R 80s revels in neon brashness appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Teddy Baldassarre
Weddings are an occasion for gift giving, and a fine watch always makes an ideal gift, whether it’s from a parent to a prospective son- or daughter-in-law, a groom to a best man, or exchanged between the betrothed couple in addition to (or in place of) the traditional rings. What are the best wedding watches? We put the question out to our 300,000-plus followers on Instagram (some but not all of them married or engaged) and were overwhelmed by the response. Here we break it down into the top 10 watch brands named in the survey and spotlight some of the specific models that our respondents favored. 1. LONGINES Leading the pack with 25 mentions is Longines, a brand known for making elegant timepieces for both men and ladies and pricing them reasonably. Among the models mentioned specifically are the Master Collection Chronograph, Spirit, Hydroconquest, Flagship Heritage, and Legend Diver. When it comes to Swiss watchmakers, it seems, the venerable maison in bucolic Saint-Imier hits the sweet spot for many prospective brides and grooms. Longines Legend Diver Bronze The Longines Legend Diver is a modern re-issue of a compressor-style dive watch Price: $3,000, Case Size: 42mm, Thickness: 12.7mm, Lug to Lug: 48.2mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 300m, Movement: Automatic ETA A31.L11 The Longines Legend Diver is a modern re-issue of a compressor-style dive watch it produced in 1960, here with a case made of bronze, a metal historically used in maritime equipment due to i...
Worn & Wound
Within sight of the Chicago skyline, I stepped off the gunwale of the 47-foot Seaquest II into Lake Michigan and deflated my buoyancy wing. We’d left the dock in Hammond, Indiana under a moody sky and spitting rain, but after an hour’s cruise, the clouds parted and the lake’s surface flattened out. The sun cast filtered shafts of “God light” onto the skyscrapers in the distance, the last view I saw before descending 50 feet into the blue-green depths. I followed the yellow mooring line down to where it was tied in to an auger on the lake bed. And then, there it was: a ship’s anchor, standing proud of the mud. It was coated with algae and quogga mussels but was unmistakable, looking like the archetypal sailor’s tattoo, with a five-foot shank and one fluke pointing to the surface it hadn’t seen in over a century. An intact anchor on a shipwreck is a thrill for any diver and if I wasn’t already chilled from the 59-degree water I’d have gotten goosebumps. To mark the moment, I looked down at my left wrist. The Benrus Ultra-Deep diving watch nestled under the cuff of my thick glove read 9:14. The Great Lakes, a chain of five huge inland seas that hold over 20% of the world’s freshwater, have provided a connected passage for cargo and passenger vessels since the early 19th century. Ships have carried coal, iron ore, lumber and grain between the American states and Canadian provinces that border the lakes, as well as beyond to Europe through the St. Lawrence...
Teddy Baldassarre
Few watches have achieved the worldwide fame and collectibility of the Rolex Submariner, one of the very first purpose-built dive watches and the one that established the formula that so many others still emulate. Nearly every luxury divers’ watch on the market today owes some stylistic debt to the Submariner, which remains to many collectors the gold standard of the category. The Submariner’s association with James Bond, which stems from its being worn by Sean Connery in the iconic movie role, doesn’t hurt its case either. Here’s what you need to know about the Rolex Submariner and why it continues to be an industry trendsetter in the modern day. Origins: The Rolex Oyster Case While most watch historians rightly pinpoint the 1950s as the era that gave rise to the modern, purpose-built diver’s watch, Rolex began paving the way as early as the 1920s. Hans Wilsdorf, who founded Rolex in 1905 and moved its headquarters to Geneva, Switzerland in 1919, was one of the earliest and most prominent proponents of making wristwatches more waterproof. It was a challenge that had plagued watchmakers for years, ever since pocket watches began fading from common usage in favor of the wrist-worn timepieces that gained wide acceptance in the wake of World War I. Wilsdorf’s 1926 invention, the so-called Oyster case, proved to be (no pun intended) a watershed for an evolving industry. Its innovative design combined a threaded, hermetically sealed caseback and a crown that screwe...
Worn & Wound
If you’ve been trying to score a M.A.D. 1 – the absolutely insane, value oriented limited edition watch that most certainly is not an MB&F; but is conceived by many of the same people – you’re in luck. Max Busser, the “MB” of MB&F;, has announced that a new version of the M.A.D. 1 is soon to be released, this time in green, with options to purchase still determined by a raffle. Ever since the original M.A.D. 1 appeared in the spring of 2022, it’s been an object of considerable fascination for the many admirers of MB&F; who simply can’t afford a watch with a six figure price tag. The conceit of the M.A.D. 1 is that it offers a whole lot of the imagination and playful whimsy of an MB&F; piece, but with an off-the-shelf movement (heavily modified) in an unusual case for not a whole lot of money. Their scarcity, and the sheer visual impression these watches leave, has made them an enduring Instagram hit with a certain type of enthusiast. The new M.A.D. 1 is effectively the same watch as the previous version, but with bright green accents instead of red. For those who might be brand new to the concept, a quick overview of how thing works might be in order. The heart of the M.A.D. 1 is a simple Miyota automatic caliber that has been inverted, so the back of the movement points up, where you’d normally find a dial. But there is no dial – just a rapidly spinning, triple blade, tungstend/titanium rotor, which we suspect is the single most heavily modified piece of...
SJX Watches
Very few will have missed the news of Rolex buying Bucherer, and all of the reactions to it. Given the big change this poses to the world of watch retail, when we were recently given the chance to speak with Wilhelm Schmid, chief executive of A. Lange & Söhne, we thought it the perfect opportunity to get his insight on the current retail landscape. We sat down with the seasoned leader – now the longest-serving brand boss in Richemont – at this year’s Concours of Elegance, the classic car show at Hampton Court Palace, surrounded by the sounds of vintage V8s revving in the distance. Now that the world has exited the pandemic for good, the way we shop seems to be going back to normal and the shifts that brands made during those turbulent years are either being undone or slowly wound down in the hope that customers are willing to go back to the old ways of doing things and getting out to physical stores. Mr Schmid is certainly of the mindset that a face-to-face connection is the only way to sell one of their watches, as we discovered in our discussion below. Not only did we talk about how the German brand plans to change their retail strategy moving forward, we also queried him on the Bucherer takeover and how Lange is adapting the to rising tide of brands developing certified pre-owned (CPO) offerings. The following interview has been edited for clarity and length. Wilhelm Schmid (left) with the best-in-show winner at the Concours of Elegance 2023 RPS: Perhaps...
Time+Tide
As soon as John Harrison realised that a pocket watch could be made to be just as accurate as his 60cm-tall chronometer sea clocks, the road to wristwatch chronometry had begun. Most watch enthusiasts are familiar with how wristwatches became popular after WWI, thanks to the convenience of keeping your hands free while soldiering. It … ContinuedThe post How chronometers went from ships to wrists appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
Apple held their annual September event today, introducing new iPhones and new Apple Watch models in the process. This year, Apple is leaning heavily into environmental consciousness across all of their new products, including new straps that utilize recycled materials, as we’ve seen with increasing recency in the watch world. In addition to new Series 9 watches, Apple also introduced a second generation of their Apple Watch Ultra, with the Ultra 2. Both utilize Apple’s new home cooked silicon, the S9 SiP, a more powerful chip, allowing for a slew of new on board features that are less reliant on your connectivity status, including the ability to recognize gestures. The watches retain largely the same design across the board, so the real story is the new silicon, and the 100% carbon neutral status of the product in many configurations. The Apple Watch has established itself as the most popular watch in the world since it was first introduced 9 years ago, and while its form factor hasn’t substantially changed over the years, it’s become far more powerful with each generation, allowing it to blossom into its own product category for Apple. I suspect we’ll see the first big design update for its 10th anniversary next year, but until then the Series 9 and Ultra 2 will look to keep the trend moving forward. The Apple Watch Ultra was introduced just last year, a rugged take on the formula which won over those of us who prefer using the Apple Watch for specific scenar...
Hodinkee
The new automatic Bioceramic collab still had people turning out in droves, and we were on the scene in Times Square.
Worn & Wound
Editor’s note: In this 3 Watch Collection for $5,000, reader George East shares shares one of the most unique trio of watches we’ve seen yet in this series. There are classics, and there are under the radar specimens of interest. It’s focused and clearly from the mind of an enthusiast comfortable in their own skin. You can make your submission to the Three Watch Collection – Reader Edition by filling out the form right here. Ever since I got into watch collecting, I quickly understood that it need not be the elitist or financially ruinous hobby it’s made out to be at times. It’s a broad church of tastes, styles, and budgets – all of which should be celebrated. What’s more, the feelings and memories invoked by a watch are, to me at least, equally important to its looks – I have a Tudor BlackBay GMT as a daily wearer, and every time I look at it on my wrist, I see it as a memory box, a Pepsi-bezelled, stainless steel connection to my family and my friends across the world. With that in mind, I chose the following watches as my “3-Watch Collection for $5,000” as they have a certain amount of personal significance to me. Given watch collecting – at least in my mind – is about variety, they’re also completely different in nature. That’s enough of me talking. Let’s look into things a bit deeper, shall we? Omega Seamaster 300M 41 Quartz “Goldeneye” // REF: 2541.80.00 – ~$3,000 After much deliberation, I’ve settled on this as the gr...
Worn & Wound
The US Open, the professional tennis season’s final major tournament, is currently in its closing stages, which means you’re running out of time to purchase the watch seen here, the Rallymaster II by Maurice de Mauriac, made in partnership with Racquet magazine. This is a sequel to the original Rallymaster, released last year in conjunction with the French Open in a run of just 40 pieces. The quick sell out of that watch prompted the team behind it to make the next one a little more available, with a strategy this time of limited production: anyone who’d like to can order the watch, but only during the dates of the US Open. The tournament began on August 28, and the last match will be played on September 10 (this coming Sunday), at which point tennis fans will have to wait for what we imagine will be a Wimbledon or Australian Open themed watch, but that’s speculation for another day. The Rallymaster II takes the whimsical, colorful formula of the first watch and spins it just slightly to accommodate a color palette that makes a little more sense for the marquee event in US tennis. The US Open, year after year, is a spectacle, drawing viewers both in-person and on television that might be only casual tennis fans, but can’t help but get caught up in the tournament’s inherent drama. A combination of the boisterous New York crowds, matches that stretch late into the evening, and competitors playing in top late season form always make for an exciting two weeks. ...
Worn & Wound
We probably should have seen this one coming: the new watch from Kurono Tokyo, the affordable offshoot of Hajime Asaoka’s eponymous and very high end independent brand, is a GMT equipped with the new Miyota 9075 movement. This is a new complication for Kurono, and it makes sense that the brand waited to launch a GMT until an affordable, Japanese made, caliber with local jumping hours became available. The new watch, dubbed simply the Kurono GMT 1, feels very much of a piece with other recent Kurono releases, simply extending Asaoka’s Art Deco infused design codes with some new functionality. The conceit of this watch, according to Asaoka, is that a GMT is a complication highly desired by those traveling the world for business purposes, but watches that are equipped with this feature often find themselves in the sport category. While I think any serious watch lover can probably poke a few holes in that theory, it led Asaoka to create an apologetically not a traditional sports watch. Like all Kurono watches, this is an aesthetic object first and foremost, with design flourishes that exist simply to look good, rather than serve any specific functional purpose. The watch was also designed with conservative “business” fashion in mind, which from Asaoka’s perspective hasn’t changed a whole lot through the years, which lends the GMT 1 a traditional look that, while not vintage inspired, wouldn’t look out of place in the 1950s or 60s. The dial features multiple s...
SJX Watches
Following the recent introduction of scaled-down automatic models, the Tissot PRX lineup takes a decidedly nostalgic turn with the PRX Digital. A slightly more refined take on the digital wristwatch, the new PRX captures the future as seen from the late 1980s with a streamlined LCD display and integrated bracelet. Initial thoughts The PRX in all its flavours has proven popular thanks to a vintage-inspired design that caters perfectly to today’s taste for integrated bracelets. A retro-style quartz watch with an LCD screen, however, is unexpected but appealing in its thoughtful design that doesn’t try to do too much and is just right. For a mechanical-watch enthusiast, the PRX Digital is a diversion, but one that’s fun and affordable. On its face, the new PRX immediately evokes Casio’s lineup of digital watches on bracelets (namely the A171WEG-9AEF and A171WE-1AEF). The Japanese brand is clearly the market leader in affordable digital watches, but the PRX Digital is a step up in terms of branding and presentation, as opposed to Casio’s primarily utilitarian approach (though Casio’s upscale G-Shock models are another matter). At US$375 for steel models and US$75 more for the gold-plated variants, the PRX Digital is pricier than its Casio counterparts. This premium is significant, but justified in part by the slightly more upscale feel of the PRX and of course the “Swiss made” provenance. However, it’s worth noting Casio trumps Tissot in terms of tech: t...
Time+Tide
New Tissot PRX Digital is inspired by a 1977 Tissot design Offered in both 35mm and 40mm sizes Backlit positive digital display with dual time zone, day-date, chronograph, timer, and alarm functions The Tissot PRX was a massive hit upon its introduction in 2021, and it has since expanded with various dial colours, metal finishes, … ContinuedThe post The new Tissot PRX Digital looks back to a watch from 1977 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
What a week it’s been. Mere days after announcing that our Watch Discovery Studio is open to the public, we’ve already seen many of you visit, experiencing the brands we carry and chatting all things watches. So, before anything else, thank you for your ongoing support. For those who haven’t braved the rainy Melbourne weather … ContinuedThe post FRIDAY WIND DOWN: The full down-low on the Time+Tide Watch Discovery Studio appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
The Ressence Type 3 collection welcomes a new member this week with the introduction of the serene Type 3 EE. The brand continues to work in subtle and interesting green hues, following up on the sage Type 8S (reviewed here) with this rich eucalyptus green dial. It’s a slightly unconventional execution within the more dramatic Type 3 collection, which we’ve only seen rendered in black and soft white up to this point. In person, the green is a perfect companion to the Type 3’s primary accent colors and rotating dial sets. Given the case it’s set within, that green is given an oil filled canvas for maximum impact. The Type 3 is one of two oil filled Ressence watches, along with the “world-proof” dive watch, the Type 5. The effect is remarkable in person, and one that I’ve always found core to the Ressence experience. The Type 3 EE features the eucalyptus green on both the font and back panel of the watch (hence the EE), and comes through brilliantly, as though it were painted directly on the crystal, thanks to the oil filled dial. The color is subtle but rich, somehow, and the colors used for the various displays have been desaturated enough to hit the same value scale as the green itself, so as not to create a distracting level of contrast. The Type 3 is on the maximalist side of Ressence, boasting the oil temperature gauge, a dial for the day of the week, and the date itself, on top of the hours, minutes, and seconds, of course. It all leads to a rather dra...
Quill & Pad
It’s already time for the latest update in GaryG`s series of articles providing a completely subjective, unscientific, and unofficial history of watch photographs online. The big trend he has recently seen is the emergence of storytelling as a dominant theme in how watches are displayed. And while he lauds the rise to prominence of many more women among the population of online watch shooters and commentators, the emergence of boob shots with a watch hardly "empowers women" . . . or does it?
Worn & Wound
A few months back, Seiko made a big splash in the watch scene with their sub-$500 GMT watch. With their own GMT movement inside and a design based on the iconic SKX case, they had an instant hit on their hands. We’re happy to offer their two latest dial colors: a dark charcoal grey and a bright and cheerful yellow. Read on to find out more about these two new Seikos that just landed at the Windup Watch Shop. A few months back, Seiko made a big splash in the watch scene with their sub-$500 GMT watch. With their own GMT movement inside and a design based on the iconic SKX case, they had an instant hit on their hands. We’re happy to offer their two latest dial colors: a dark charcoal grey and a bright and cheerful yellow. Read on to find out more about these two new Seikos that just landed at the Windup Watch Shop. The post Seiko Makes It Hard To Choose Favorites With Their New Addition of Seiko 5 GMTs appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Quill & Pad
A brand's progress is often seen in how their watches evolve. Armin Strom, which had the delicate task of reinventing the 'One Week,' the watch with their very first full manufacture movement.
Time+Tide
When asked about pilot’s watches, the first brand I think of is IWC. The brand largely deals in sensible, legible designs, especially when it comes to their pilot’s watches, where such a quality is paramount. Now, we have seen IWC, well-versed in ceramics, create stealthy, black ceramic pilot’s pieces. The dark cases certainly camouflage themselves … ContinuedThe post The IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 Black Aces is the brand’s first full lume dial appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Soon after unveiling the Big Pilot perpetual calendar in white ceramic, IWC is introducing the Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 “Black Aces”. While retaining the customary dial layout of the model, the “Black Aces” sports a fully-luminous dial – a first for the brand. The watch gets it name from the U.S. Navy’s Strike Fighter Squadron 41 “Black Aces”, which collaborated with IWC on the watch’s key design elements. Initial thoughts The recent Top Gun watches with coloured ceramic cases have been bestsellers for IWC, though most have been complicated and pricier models. Hence, it is rather pleasing to see IWC do something with the entry-level Pilot’s Watch by giving it a simple yet appealing twist. Instead a run-of-the-mill dial colour, the “Black Aces” gets a lume dial that’s novel for IWC. The full-lume dial, however, is not new to watchmaking, with several brands having such dials for several years now, including Bell & Ross with its pilot’s watches. Beyond the colour, the military provenance and “Black Aces” emblem gives the watch a tangible military link that many of IWC’s fans will like. Notably, this watch contains the cal. 32100. I would have preferred the cal. 32111 that was used in the new Ingenieur instead. Both are essentially the same calibre, but the latter is a higher-spec version of the movement with a longer power reserve of 120 hours, as opposed the 72 hours of the cal. 32100. This movement was presumably used because o...
Worn & Wound
One of my favorite things about working in the watch industry is the capacity this strange little world still has to surprise. Just when you think you’ve seen everything, you’re reminded that you most definitely have not, and in fact you might just be scratching the surface. I love getting press releases about watches I don’t expect, particularly when they come from brands that I thought I knew and understood. Enter: Maurice Lacroix. If you know Maurice Lacroix at all, you probably know them as the brand behind the Aikon, an integrated bracelet sports watch that bears a certain resemblance to another much more sought after and much more expensive watch with a similar footprint. The Aikon, though, has proven to be a worthy blank canvas for many of Maurice Lacroix’s most interesting ideas over the years, and a new version, an update of a design first seen in 2021, takes that to a new level. The Aikon Urban Tribe Skeleton is lie no other Aikon before it, except the Aikon Urban Tribe, which featured a similar series of engravings along the case walls and throughout the bracelet. The Urban Tribe’s calling card (for both the 2021 version and this new reference) is the elaborate case engraving. It’s unusual enough to see a well known Swiss brand dabble in engraved cases to begin with, and it’s even more unusual for those engravings to seemingly live in the world of tribal tattoos and similar motifs. But that’s not all – these designs are inspired by urban arch...
Worn & Wound
It’s been said over and over again, on podcasts, in our posts, reviews, DMs, and private conversations: Zenith is effectively unmatched in their ability to straddle the line between their history and a forward looking, contemporary design language. Heritage focused models like the various Defy Revival releases that we’ve seen in recent years recreate the original watches they’re based on to a fastidious, almost obsessive degree, while releases on the other end of the spectrum are unapologetically modern in their materials, design cues, and ethos. Today, Zenith releases a pair of watches that find themselves in the latter camp, part of a platform that continues to evolve and exist as a showcase for the brand’s most adventurous ideas. The Defy 21 chronographs have one of my personal favorite watch industry tricks up their sleeve. It’s an ultra high-frequency chronograph capable of measuring down to the hundredth of a second, a level of accuracy that frankly outpaces the fine motor skills of just about anyone who will operate it. But that’s (somewhat) beside the point. When you push the “start” button on one of these things, and see the second hand whip around the dial at a speed that’s frankly somewhat frightening if you’re used to chronos that operate at a traditional pace, it’s kind of intoxicating. Even if you’re been around watches a long time, it’s hard to synthesize that what you’re seeing is the result of springs, gears, and wheels operat...
Teddy Baldassarre
Founded in 1853 by the father-son team of Charles-Félicien and Charles-Émile Tissot in the Swiss Jura town of Le Locle, Tissot is today one of the largest Swiss watchmakers in the world, with a versatile and varied collection of timepieces for men and women, from dressy to sporty to high-tech, all offering one of the industry’s best value propositions across the board (every watch we showcase here comes in under $2,000). With such a breadth of options, it's difficult to compile a list of the standouts, but for this (admittedly very subjective) compilation of the 21 best Tissot watches we strove to include just about all of Tissot's major collections, with an emphasis on men's watches with mechanical movements, particularly spotlighting the variations on the proprietary Powermatic Caliber 80. (For those who find themselves enthralled by one or more particular models on this list, most are available right here at TeddyBaldassarre.com; just follow the shopping links.) TISSOT SEASTAR Seastar 2000 Professional Powermatic 80 Price: $1,075, Case size: 46mm, Thickness: 16.3mm, Lug Width: 22mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 600 meters, Movement: Automatic Powermatic 80.111 Tissot's ruggedly attractive Seastar family of dive watches, which debuted in the 1960s, welcomed its most robustly engineered member in 2021. The ISO-certified Seastar 2000 entices deep-sea enthusiasts with its integrated helium release valve at 9 o’clock, unidirectional dive-scale bezel with en...
Teddy Baldassarre
Of all the different types of complicated timepieces, watches with a GMT or second-time-zone function are among the most useful in everyday life, especially for those of us who travel frequently, do long-distance business in other parts of the world, or some combination of both. Until relatively recently, if you wanted such a watch with a traditional mechanical movement (as opposed to a digital or quartz option), you could expect to pay a fairly hefty price for it. Fortunately, a growing number of watch brands - large and small, well-established as well as plucky newcomers - have started to make GMT watches that are attainable for newer, less affluent aficionados while also being robustly built and thoughtfully designed. In this article, we spotlight 20 of these affordable GMT watches, in ascending order of MSRP, all of which fall under the $2,000 threshold. (If you’re interested in a broader look at the GMT watch category, and might be convinced to spend a bit, or a lot, more, check out our original list of the best GMT watches.) Under $1,000: Timex Q Timex GMT Price: $229, Case Size: 38mm, Thickness: 12.5mm, Lug Width: 18mm, Crystal: Acrylic, Water Resistance: 50 meters, Movement: Quartz Analog Always known for its value proposition, mass-market Timex has also gotten onto the radar of vintage-watch fans in recent years by reproducing some of its cult-favorite historical models, seeking out the sweet spot between historical flair, modest dimensions, and great pricin...
Hodinkee
Plus an A. Lange & Söhne full of hidden complications and a tribute to the early JLC Reverso.
Worn & Wound
Some things are as sure as the rising sun, and in the Land of the Rising Sun, that means nature-inspired dials from Seiko…King Seiko, to be exact. As friendly divisional rivals in the 60s and early 70s, the workshops of King Seiko and Grand Seiko challenged one another while pushing the technical and aesthetic envelope of Japanese watchmaking. While some consider GS victorious as the KS name was sunsetted in 1975, the reality is that both were instrumental in establishing Seiko’s mid-century identity. More recently, Grand Seiko has spun off as a high-end, independent brand, and the King Seiko nameplate was rebooted in February of last year as a more premium offering within Seiko. Today, we take a look at a watch that isn’t entirely new yet brings an interesting flourish to the recently resurrected collection. The SJE095’s specifications are reasonable for the average wrist: 38.6mm x 45.8mm x 10.7mm, 5 bar water resistance, and powered by in-house caliber 6L35 (28,800 vph, 45 hour power reserve, +15/-10s a day) with a date complication and boxed sapphire crystal. Like the other SJE and SPB-reference King Seikos, it features a striking stainless steel case, sharp angles, and expansive flat surfaces, attributes of the original 1965 KSK on which the entire modern KS line is based. This new dial features a self-repeating pattern of circles and fine lines known as kiku tsunagi-mon. This particular design holds special significance in Japanese culture for several reasons....
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