Hodinkee
In-Depth: The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Reference 126502 In Rolesium With Enamel Dial And Grey Bezel
I'm not sure anyone saw this one coming...
4,522 articles · 442 videos found · page 8 of 166
Hodinkee
I'm not sure anyone saw this one coming...
Monochrome
For decades, the stainless steel Rolex Daytona has been one of the most desirable watches from the Crown’s catalogue. The brand’s chronograph, born in 1963, has been available in hundreds of versions, but when it comes to steel versions, the choice has always been limited to two options: silvery-white with black contrasting counters or rings, […]
Worn & Wound
I used to really enjoy watching sports. But over the last few years, it’s become almost impossible to enjoy, as it feels like telecasts exist for the sole purpose of driving viewers toward gambling websites like FanDuel and DraftKings. It’s truly pervasive, and depending on how you view sports betting it’s either a mild annoyance or the sign of something darker and more insidious: the steady financialization of every form of entertainment. This isn’t an editorial on the ethics of gambling (or capitalism) but I’ve been thinking about both over the last several hours after we learned that Bezel, the online watch retailer that acts as an authenticated marketplace for many sought after watches from Rolex, Audemars Piguet, and others, has teamed up with Kalshi, the prediction markets platform that lets users place bets not just on sports, but on questions like “What will Pete Hegseth say during his press conference?” and “Which bank will take SpaceX public?” Now, Kalshi users and presumably watch collectors and speculators can bet on changing watch valuations, as well as the likelihood of potential new releases. This seems like a uniquely terrible idea, and I hate everything about it. First, and this goes almost without saying, as watch enthusiasts, we are always trying to divorce ourselves from placing a high degree of importance on the value of any given watch. While nobody wants to lose money on an expensive watch purchase, real joy in this hobby comes ...
Monochrome
Ever since its introduction in 2022, the Citizen Tsuyosa collection has left its mark on the accessible, sporty-chic, automatic watch market. In a nutshell, it is one of the most advisable models for anyone looking for a fairly-priced, stylished and well-built watch. Over the years, we’ve seen several evolutions, with new dial colours, a smaller […]
Hodinkee
Baltic says goodbye to a great model with a glossy black dial and a splash of bling.
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Worn & Wound
I have a very clear memory of the time period around the launch of the Baltic MR01 collection, the first in their ongoing series of micro-rotor powered dress watches. It felt like a turning point for the brand, who up until then was really known as a heritage inspired sports watch microbrand. The MR series was a real left turn, and there was excitement around it across the watch community. The use of a micro-rotor powered automatic movement in a watch well under $1,000 was completely novel, and it signaled that Baltic had ambitions well beyond iterating on classic sports watch DNA. The intervening years have proven that out, as the brand no longer occupies such a narrow niche. If you had told me in 2021 that only a few years later my favorite Baltic would be their take on a cocktail watch, complete with stone dials, I never would have believed you. The new MR Moissanite closes a chapter for Baltic. We’re told this is the final MR to be released in the current format, and that a refresh is coming. If that’s the case, Baltic has chosen to close out this incarnation of the MR with its most ostentatious execution to this point. The two dial variants seen here each feature bezels set with baguette cut moissanite gem stones, linking these watches in style and philosophy to the 1970s inspired Prismics linked above. Moissanite, for the uninitiated, is a lab grown diamond alternative first introduced in the late 1990s. It has many physical qualities that are very similar to...
Monochrome
Artya, the brand created by Yvan Arpa, is never shy to break the rules and to create watches with impressive character. Even though recent models have toned things down a bit, specifically the sleek and organic Purity Wavy or Luminity Wavy, the family-run business is always answering the call for innovation and creativity. As part […]
Teddy Baldassarre
If you’re new to the watch-collecting hobby, you’ve undoubtedly seen or heard references to watches with fluted bezels, but what does that description actually mean? Are fluted bezels a feature of sports watches or dress watches, of watches for men or for ladies? Are they designed for practical use or purely as an aesthetic touch? As is common in the world of watches, the answers to all of these questions are not as simple as you might think. Before getting into the fluted type in particular, let’s get really basic and review what a watch’s bezel is and what it’s for. As we explore in more detail here, a bezel is the front part of a watch’s case (often but not always ring-shaped) that frames the dial and secures the crystal. Bezels can be made of the same material as the case middle and/or the caseback, but can also be made of a different material. They can also be thin or wide; stationary or built to rotate in either one direction or both; purely decorative (i.e., set with diamonds) or utilitarian in nature (i.e., inscribed with a scale for some type of calculation). Fluting is defined as “a groove or set of grooves forming a surface decoration,” so a fluted bezel is one that features this type of grooved or ribbed texture on its top surface. Initially, as with most every element of a watch, a fluted bezel design was designed with a practical purpose in mind: the grooved surface made it easier for a watchmaker to screw the bezel tightly into the case to...
Monochrome
Hanhart’s roots run deep in the history of mechanical chronographs. Founded in 1882 in Germany’s Black Forest, Hanhart became a mid-20th-century reference for timing instruments. Its stopwatches and pilot chronographs set benchmarks for robustness, legibility, and ergonomics, a legacy carried forward by today’s collections, most notably, the 417 ES. First developed for the German armed […]
Monochrome
French brand Yema got a foothold in the watch world with its rugged tool watches, exemplified by models like the mighty 300 water-resistant Superman skin diver of 1963. Proud of its French roots, Yema secured strategic alliances with the French Navy (Marine Nationale) to develop military tool watches. Based on its 1970s Navygraf dive watch, […]
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Monochrome
Continuing from last week’s Buying Guide, where we listed a series of titanium watches perfect for life during the summer, we return to the topic once more. But, to avoid repeating ourselves too much, now we take a look at another material perfectly suited for hot days: ceramic! Primarily known for its resistance to scratches […]
SJX Watches
H. Moser & Cie.’s only dive watch returns as the Pioneer “Elements of Time”, the result of an unexpected, but not unprecedented, collaboration with Azuki, an anime-inspired NFT, and American retailer The 1916 Company. Unsurprisingly given the digital nature of the collaboration, the watches will only be available online via raffle from Azuki. Representing the four elements of earth, lightning, fire and water, Elements of Time features engraved fumé dials in four colourways. Each is limited to 24 watches in Pioneer Centre Seconds format, along with one unique Pioneer tourbillon per colour. All variants are titanium, matched with bracelet with the amenities you’d expect from a diver, including a micro-adjust clasp. Initial Thoughts While a new Pioneer with a rotating bezel would normally be a major release, you won’t find Elements of Time on Moser’s website. That’s because it’s a collaboration with Azuki, a non-fungible token (NFT). Azuki is Japanese for “red bean”, but Azuki is basically anime-style digital art on the blockchain. But these are real watches – they can be collected at The 1916 Company’s physical stores – and more notably, sport of the most interesting fumé dials from Moser in a while. This isn’t Moser’s first foray into the Web 3.0 world. Back in 2022, the brand launched the Endeavour Centre Seconds Genesis, a watch that was essentially a physical QR code. The timing wasn’t the best as it debuted just as the NFT bubble popped...
Worn & Wound
John Scott Haldane had a problem. Britain’s Royal Navy had commissioned the Scottish physiologist to find a solution for a unique problem facing their divers: decompression. Known since the mid-19th century, decompression sickness (DCS) posed a serious risk for divers and laborers working in pressurized environments, such as caissons. It was his job to develop a set of decompression tables for safe diving operations. It boils down to how gases act under pressure. When breathing a gas mixture at depth - for the sake of simplicity, we will say compressed air, or approximately 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, with the rest being inert gases - the oxygen is used up by the body, and the nitrogen is absorbed into the bloodstream. This build-up will dissolve as it is effectively off-gassed, as it does when each of us breathes here on the surface. Enter pressure. Should a diver undergo a rapid change in pressure, such as by ascending too quickly, the nitrogen will separate from the blood and form bubbles in the tissues and joints. The resulting pain has a habit of contorting its victims, giving DCS its more readily-known nickname of “the bends.” John Scott Haldane had a problem. Britain’s Royal Navy had commissioned the Scottish physiologist to find a solution for a unique problem facing their divers: decompression. Known since the mid-19th century, decompression sickness (DCS) posed a serious risk for divers and laborers working in pressurized environments, such as caisso...
Teddy Baldassarre
The Bulova Jet Star is one of those watches that leaves no room for doubt as to the decade from which its distinctive design originates. Revived in 2023 to commemorate the original's 50th anniversary, in a trio of diverse colorways, all the modern Jet Star models vibe “‘70s throwback” in a major way, with their unconventional, turtle-shaped cases and boldly colorful dials. However, they’re also very avant-garde in ways that their predecessors simply weren’t able to be, particularly in their use of Bulova’s high-frequency Precisionist calibers, their elevated level of finishing, and the almost three-dimensional degradé effect enhancing their dials. Scroll down for a closer look at each of the 50th anniversary Bulova Jet Star watches. Bulova Jet Star Case And Bracelet The modern Jet Star case is more angular and multifaceted than the curvilinear “turtle” shape of its 1970s predecessor. Strictly speaking, the case is octagonally shaped and topped with a round bezel that hugs the domed sapphire crystal. Measuring 40mm in diameter, approximately 45mm lug to lug, and 12.5mm thick, it boasts an array of polished and brushed finishes that accentuate those multiple, subtle edges and surfaces and lend the Jet Star an air of luxury in addition to its unmistakable retro charm. The lugs themselves are relatively short, with a 20mm lug width to accommodate the bracelet (on the two steel versions) or strap (on the gold-tone model and the steel limited edition). The crown...
SJX Watches
In a surprising move from the conservative watchmaker, Rolex has quietly set up Rolex Quantum SA, a new entity dedicated to atomic timekeeping, the most precise form of timekeeping ever invented by man. Rolex chief executive Jean-Frederic Dufour will sit on the board of Rolex Quantum, with engineer Fabien Droz serving as director of the venture. With Rolex Quantum, the watchmaker plans to develop and sell atomic clocks, conceivably for industrial or scientific purposes. Being somewhat removed from the core Rolex offering of wristwatches, the atomic clocks will be developed separate from the main Rolex brand. The new venture strengthens the brand’s ties with CSEM (Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology), the Swiss technical institute most famous in watchmaking for having developing silicon component for watch movements. The venture will benefit from Rolex’ broad industrial research and development capabilities, while also leveraging CSEM’s experience with atomic timekeeping. The establishment of Rolex Quantum was first reported by Swiss newspaper Arcinfo. Neuchâtel timing Despite the cutting edge nature of its work, Rolex Quantum will be located on historic grounds, namely on the same street as the Neuchâtel Observatory, which is current home to CSEM’s atomic timekeeping laboratory. The location also has historical resonance as the city has long played a role in watchmaking and chronometry over the years. Abraham-Louis Breguet was born there and the obs...
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Worn & Wound
Doxa added a GMT to their collection for the first time in years to much fanfare recently (we covered it here). This watch got quite a bit of press and stirred considerable interest within the enthusiast community, but to my mind it was only the second best watch the brand showed us when we met with them in Geneva last month (that’s second out of two, just to be clear). I’m not sure what it is, exactly, but I’m a little over the whole “put a GMT on it” approach to product development that the industry has been stuck in for the last few years. Do we really need the ability to track two or more time zones on every watch? And should we really be doing it with movements that perform this function almost by accident and are nearly impossible to use correctly if you’re actually traveling? I’m trying not to be a hater, really I am, but every time I see a new GMT equipped watch that’s just a riff on an existing diver or chronograph, as if a GMT complication is just an extra side on a barbecue platter, I ask myself what it is that we’re doing here, really. A new version of the Doxa SUB 200 was the other watch Doxa was showing in Geneva last month, although it was embargoed until last week, so I couldn’t come out of that meeting with the blistering hot take that it actually makes a lot more sense as a watch than the SUB 250T GMT, which to me feels like something ChatGPT might invent if you asked it to think of Doxa watches that don’t yet exist. This SUB 200 i...
Monochrome
When Doxa entered the dive watch market, it consulted with experts in the field, including Jacques Cousteau, to understand the needs of professional divers. The Sub 300 of 1967 enjoys a special place in the underwater pantheon of iconic divers, but beyond its formidable underwater capabilities, it became instantly recognisable thanks to its bright orange […]
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Iceland is a place of extremes: glaciers, geothermal hot springs, and black sand beaches shaped by volcanic fury. It’s also a place where time seems to slow down and I thought it was ideal for reflecting on both nature and time spent with family-shaping memories I'll never forget. Watches were also part of the journey, of course. And as I prepared for the trip, the exercise behind choosing which timepieces to bring was something I deeply enjoyed. Now that I'm back, I just wanted to reflect on those choices and how they played a role in my first trip outside the US since the COVID era. I needed it, and it was awesome.
Hodinkee
Citizen celebrates the 55th anniversary of their world's-first titanium watch and the launch of the new "Citizen Premier" category.
Revolution
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Two Broke Watch Snobs
Let me set the stage for you: somewhere in Switzerland, a Longines executive is sitting in a leather chair, sipping espresso, and staring out over the Alps. “What if,” they muse, “we take a perfectly good dive watch, strip it of its most basic functionality, make it out of fancy plastic, and charge five grand for it?” Cue applause from the boardroom, a slow clap from a guy in a turtleneck, and voilà-the Longines Ultra-Chron Carbon is born.
Hodinkee
All that and more in this week's edition of Hodinkee's What's Selling Where column.
Monochrome
Rolex… Whether you like the brand or not, whether you appreciate its watches or not, whether you understand the hype or not, it is hard to objectively deny the sheer quality and aura of its timepieces. There are obvious reasons for its success, for it to be the number one Swiss watch brand. And then […]
Monochrome
While widely known for its countless apparitions on the silver screen and its military-inspired watches, Hamilton, once an American brand now under the umbrella of the Swatch Group, also carries a rather serious range of aquatic-oriented watches. Sitting alongside the high-performance Frogman and BeLOWZERO collections is the Khaki Navy Scuba, a classic dive watch with […]
Monochrome
Summer is the time of year for fun in the sun, getting outdoors and simply enjoying life. So what better than to wear a suitable watch for whatever you’re doing? Swimming or scuba diving? Great, wear a dive watch! Travelling the globe? Awesome, wear a GMT watch? Heading into the mountains for a days-long trek? […]
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