Two Broke Watch Snobs
The Tissot Visodate Returns to Its Roots, with a Cleaner Dial and a Sub-$1K Price
New 39mm Tissot Visodate editions arrive in silver, blue, and black with a Powermatic 80 movement offering 80 hours of power reserve.
Results for Power Reserve
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Power Reserve
How long a fully wound mechanical watch runs; 40h entry, 72h modern, 50d record.
Exclusive · Guide
Longines Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve gets a light blue dial
Longines refreshes one of its most quietly interesting re-editions with a light blue opaline dial. Still 38mm, still the same central power-reserve rotating disc, still the silicon-hairspring L896.5. €3,950 on strap, €4,050 on bracelet.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
SJX Watches
Stellar Small Seconds: Orient Star M45 F7
Orient Star doubles down on dress watches with the dignified M45 F7 Small Seconds in three new colours inspired by the night sky. With its small seconds layout, power reserve indicator, no-date format, and sub-40 mm case size, the M45 is clearly targeting the enthusiast market. Initial thoughts While more casual and “sporty” watches have been the foundation of the watch market for decades, Orient, and its upscale sibling Orient Star, are arguably known best for its more formally coded watches, such as the entry-level Orient Bambino. From there, Orient Star’s M45 collection represents a tempting upgrade, featuring a slew of refinements inside and out that make it a good value proposition despite the higher price. Beyond the technical specifications, the M45 F7 Small Seconds also reflects Orient Star’s ongoing effort to carve out a distinct identity within the broader Japanese watch landscape. While brand has long been appreciated for delivering strong value, the M45 line shows a growing confidence in formal watches, which is needed given the fierce competition from micro-brands in the sports watch segment at the same price point. Visually, the watch could benefit from being even smaller, as the small seconds sub-dial is too close to the centre of the dial, but that is true of many, if not most, of its (few) competitors in this price segment that offer a small seconds format. Collectors have come accept this as a normal trade-off of contemporary watches that use hist...
WatchAdvice
Hands-On With IWC Schaffhausen’s Beautifully Executed Ingenieur Automatic 35
In 2025, IWC Schaffhausen introduced a first for the Ingenieur collection, unveiling three new models in a compact 35mm case size. For this hands-on review, I had the chance to spend some time with one of my favourite pieces from the new lineup. Read on to find out why it left such a lasting impression! What We Love: 35mm case size wears exceptionally well Gold toned grid patterned dial works beautifully with an 18k 5N gold case Wrist prescence of the watch is undeniable What We Don’t: Non-skeletonised rotor 42-hour power reserve can be slightly low by modern standards. With an open case back, this 35mm Ingenieur doesn’t have an anti-magnetic soft iron cage like older Ingenieurs. Overall Rating: 8.75/10 Value for Money: 8.5/10 Wearability: 9/10 Design: 8.5/10 Build Quality: 9/10 Inspired by Gérald Genta’s iconic 1970s Ingenieur SL design, the 35mm Ingenieur timepieces retain the signature elements that define the original collection, from the integrated bracelet to the distinctive grid dial and the five-screw bezel, now perfectly re-proportioned into a smaller, more wearable format! IWC Schaffhausen has several stand-out collections from past to present, with one of the most influential in shaping the brand being their Pilot’s collections. Then we also have the Portugieser, which played a pivotal role in shaping IWC’s identity with its elegant design and technical watchmaking. Alongside these two iconic collections sits the Ingenieur. 1955 IWC Ingenieur Ref....
SJX Watches
Kollokium’s Projekt 02 Variant B Treads New Terrain
Having teased its newest collection with a family and friends edition last year, Kollokium has finally taken the wraps off the Projekt 02 Variant B, which offers a low-profile die-cast stainless steel case and a terraced topographical dial. A massive box-form crystal contains the scene, offering a panoramic view of the 67 pieces that comprise the nine layers of the dial. A limited edition of 399 pieces, the Variant B is a well-priced entry point to the world of independent watchmaking, and could easily be worn daily. Initial thoughts Kollokium is a relatively new name in independent watchmaking, but the company’s three founders, collector Amr Sindi, designer Barth Nussbaumer, and Louis Erard managing director Manuel Emch, bring a trained eye and a fresh perspective to the brand. With a strong emphasis on design, underpinned by a simple but competent calibre, Kollokium seems to have mastered the game of trade-offs required to market a distinctive watch at an affordable price. Left to Right: Amr Sindi, Barth Nussbaumer, Manuel Emch. The Variant B is fundamentally a simple time-only watch, powered by an off-the-shelf La Joux-Perret cal. G101, an increasingly common base movement prized for its economy and autonomy, with a healthy 68-hour power reserve. But Kollokium’s watches are anything but ordinary, owing to the brand’s unusual dial treatments and case processing. The Variant B is technically the first publicly available version of the Projekt 02, which debuted last ...
SJX Watches
In-Depth: Orient Star’s Smart Silicon Escape Wheel
While silicon mechanical movement components have swept across Switzerland, adoption has been slow within the Japanese watch industry, stymied by Swiss patents and professed concerns over the material’s durability. To this day, it remains the unlikely domain of Orient Star, a small brand with priority access to Seiko Epson’s massive industrial base. This positions Orient Star to capitalise on consumer demand for increasingly long power reserves, without sacrificing performance. Thanks to an ultralight and geometrically efficient escape wheel with a patented design, Orient Star is able to deliver a 70-hour power reserve without resorting the same counter-productive trade-offs to balance energy made by some Swiss peers – here’s how it was done. A silicon wafer of escape wheels. Image – Seiko Epson The quest for longer power reserves Recent consumer demand for longer power reserves has sent the industry’s engineers scrambling for ways to increase the autonomy of existing movement platforms. A movement’s power reserve is dictated by the length of the mainspring, which unwinds at a constant rate. That is why using a chronograph doesn’t cause a watch to run down faster – usually. Of course, you need to find somewhere to fit that extra length of mainspring while maintaining the movement’s dimensions, such as by thinning out the barrel walls, narrowing the inner barrel arbour radius, or, reducing the thickness of the mainspring. However, while decreasing the ma...
Worn & Wound
Orient Updates the Bambino with a New No Date Version of the Enthusiast Favorite
The Orient Bambino is one of those watches that’s an undisputed enthusiast classic. For almost everyone currently involved in our hobby, they’ve come across the Bambino in one way or another. It’s one of the most recommended enthusiast watches for beginners because of its classic dress watch style, reliable mechanical movement, and authentic brand history and credibility. It’s a watch that immediately puts you inside of our community. If there was an ongoing critique of the Bambino, it might be that until now it had only been available with a date complication. This flies in the face, somewhat, of traditional dress watch norms, but is a common concession that larger watch brands make for the modern, non-enthusiast consumer. After what must have been years worth of feedback from collectors, Orient has just introduced new Bambino models without a date that seem aimed squarely at the collector community. The new Bambino 38 No Date is available in white, ivory, green and brown dial options, as well as a gray limited edition of 3,300. Dials have a pleasing symmetry thanks to the lack of a date aperture, with Roman numerals at the even numbered hours and simple baton indices elsewhere. The perimeter of the dial has a hash mark minute track in either white or black depending on the dial color. The Bambino 38 No Date runs on the new F6524 automatic movement, which has a power reserve of 40 hours. Orient makes simple but reliable automatic movements which are notable ...
SJX Watches
Hands On: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph 38 mm
One of the longest tenured models in the Audemars Piguet (AP) catalogue, the Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph 38 mm has been upgraded with a new manufacture calibre and sapphire case back for the first time, while only slightly tweaking the iconic design and price tag. Inside the new ref. 26450 is the cal. 6401 that incorporates with welcome quality-of-life improvements such as a longer power reserve, higher beat rate, and instantaneous date. The new movement accomplishes all of this without significant tradeoffs in size, but it arguably falls somewhat short in aesthetics. Minor shortcomings aside, the modestly sized Royal Oak Chronograph is a strong offering that enters the field at the top of its class. Initial thoughts In the same fashion as last year’s updated Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar, the new 38 mm Royal Oak Chronograph takes an evolutionary, rather than revolutionary, step forward, being essentially the same watch, only better. AP clearly knows better than to mess with a winning formula, but the brand also faced challenges, both in manufacturing and customer experience, that came with a nearly four-decade-old movement platform, sourced from Swatch Group no less. The changes are slight, even insignificant at first glance, but are the sort things that come to be appreciated with long-term ownership, especially within a smaller collection where increases in power reserve and performance are most noticeable. It even looks slightly better – the dial is less cram...
Worn & Wound
The COSC Introduces the New Excellence Chronometer Certification
The Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC, the body responsible for certifying watch movements as Swiss chronometers) has just announced a new chronometry standard that will be rolled out over the course of 2026. The news comes at a time when the COSC has some competition for timekeeping certifications, most notably the METAS certification (which first requires a watch movement to be COSC certified) used by Omega and Tudor, as well as other certifications provided by the brands themselves. The new COSC certification is being framed as an additional level of certification that will accompany the familiar “Certified Chronometer” tag that is seen on the dials and paperwork of millions (literally) of watches that have been put through the COSC paces over the years. The new “Excellence Chronomenter” certification provides an additional layer of guarantee of reliability that goes beyond simple accuracy. As a refresher, COSC certification certifies the movement is working at an optimal level, not a fully cased watch. To achieve a Certified Chronometer certification, a movement must show average accuracy of -4 to +6 seconds per day over a 15 day period, tested across 5 positions and 3 temperatures. The Excellence Chronometer certification tightens the accuracy threshold from a spread of 10 seconds in total to 6 (-2 to +4 seconds per day). It also adds metrics for magnetic resistance and power reserve verification in fully cased watches. According to the COS...
Hodinkee
Business News: Switzerland's COSC Unveils 'Excellence Chronometer' Level Of Certification
The launch of a new standard that ensures accuracy within 6 seconds per day, along with new considerations for anti-magnetism and power reserve.
Worn & Wound
A New Batch of Worldtimers from Farer Have Arrived
It’s hard to keep track of all the watch trends that come and go over a calendar year, and while it’s not been as smoking-hot-popular as skin divers and GMTs, the worldtimer complication has been enjoying some time in the sun recently. Joining the herd is the Farer World Timer 2026 Collection, which beefs up an already-impressive (and early to the trend) lineup with three new colorways. In fact, the Farer World Timer was first launched in 2019, well before recent additions that have piqued the watch world’s interest, and it’s that confident backlog that has allowed Farer to introduce three new pieces with a level of design refinement that other relative newcomers may lack. Before we dive into the new colorways, let’s get the basics down: each Farer World Timer sports a 39mm 316L stainless steel case (and varying finishes depending on the model) with an impressive 11mm of thickness, and a democratic 45mm lug-to-lug measurement. One crown, inset with a Farer “A”-embossed bronze cap, sits at the 3 o’clock position, while the other, wearing a World Timer marque, rests at 10 and operates the outer rotating bezel. The crowns, domed sapphire crystal, and exhibition caseback ensure a decently robust 100 meters of water resistance. Inside, a Sellita SW331-2 Elabore movement should guarantee reliability, accuracy, serviceability, and a 56-hour power reserve. A bespoke Farer rotor is color-matched to the central 24-hour disc on the dial. Speaking of that disc, it...
SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet Upgrades the Royal Oak Chronograph 38 mm
Audemars Piguet (AP) updates the Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph 38 mm with a new manufacture calibre, sapphire display back, while slightly tweaking the iconic design – and retaining the price of its predecessor. The new cal. 6401 comes with welcome quality-of-life improvements such as a longer power reserve and instantaneous date without tradeoffs in wearability, beat rate, or even cost, making this compact chronograph one of the most sensible and compelling offerings in the Royal Oak line. Initial Thoughts AP debuted the first Royal Oak chronograph in 1997 and it was powered by the Frederic Piguet cal. 1185, a landmark movement for automatic chronograph design. Now, nearly three decades later, AP is a true industrialised manufacture, and the cal. 1185 has been replaced with the new cal. 6401, a modern movement that with meaningful upgrades under the hood. This also comes with some minute tweaks to the dial and a crowd pleasing display case back, while the case and bracelet remain as excellent as always. Laudably, this comes without a significant price increase, with the new Royal Oak Chronograph 38 mm in steel costing only 3.6% more than its predecessor. New Engine AP’s new cal. 6401 is a solidly-spec’ed movement despite being small and thin for a modern chronograph. It’s wide and taller than the Frederic Piguet cal. 1185 but only slightly. It is 27 mm in diameter (up from 26.2 mm) and 5.7 mm tall (up from 5.5 mm) though even with the addition of a sapphire ...
Monochrome
First Look - A New In-House Calibre for the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph 38mm
Launched by Audemars Piguet in 2019, the compact Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph 38mm was welcomed by men and women alike. Fitted with a modified Frédéric Piguet 1185 ébauche, the big news for the most compact RO chronograph is the introduction of a brand new in-house calibre with a longer power reserve and a 4Hz frequency. […]
Worn & Wound
Bulgari Goes Big with a Pair of Opulent LVMH Watch Week Releases
There are two things I really like about Bulgari. The first being that I’m not entirely sure how to spell their brand’s name. Bulgari? Bvlgari? Both? A secret third option? At any rate, I find it a bit chic to have a bit of runic ambiguity in a modern-day brand. The second thing I enjoy is their commitment to glamour. In today’s fashion and jewelry market, there is an inundation of simplistic, minimalistic styles. Personally speaking, I’m quite fond of dressing like I live in the Nordics, but a bit of eye candy every now and then never hurt anyone. That is to say, I’m quite pleased to share the release of two new watches, which will be presented in Milan during LVMH Watch Week, beginning today. Let me introduce you to: Maglia Milanese Monete and Tubogas Manchette. First up, the Maglia Milanese Monete revisits Bulgari’s Monete concept from the mid-1960s, centered around an authentic Roman coin from the reign of Emperor Caracalla. It is paired with a rose gold Milanese mesh bracelet, marking the brand’s first use of the technique and giving the watch a more fluid look on the wrist, nodding more to Bulgari’s jewelry-making history. The dial itself is concealed beneath the coin, while the watch is powered by Bulgari’s Piccolissimo BVP100. The manually wound movement measures just 13.5mm in diameter and 2.5mm thick, and offers a 30-hour power reserve, which can be viewed through the sapphire caseback. Next, the Tubogas Manchette takes its cues from a 1970s des...
Worn & Wound
Venezianico Updates their Most Ambitious Watch with the Redentore Utopia II
If you’re a Mad Men fan like me, then you may remember a particular scene in season 1 where Don Draper and Rachel Menken are having a conversation and the concept of utopia briefly comes up. “Maybe,” says Rachel, “They taught us at Barnard about that word, ‘utopia’. The Greeks had two meanings for it: ‘eu-topos’, meaning the good place, and ‘u-topos’ meaning the place that cannot be.” While the latter may be true for an ad exec and his department-store-heiress-slash-mistress, it doesn’t have to be for you, dear reader. All thanks to Italian watchmaker, Venezianico, who has released their Redentore Utopia II. Inspired by the Lagoon of La Serenissima, there is undoubtedly a sense of otherworldiness that this watch brings to the market, with its dial decorated with hand-engraved waves, creating a kaleidoscopic effect. Further inspired by the Neoclassicism of the Palladian Basilica, the textured dial is complemented by a 38mm stainless steel case that offers clean lines and simple ergonomics to balance the intricacies of the dial and the transparent caseback.Visible beyond it is the V5001 calibre, an evolution of the V5000 that marked a turning point for the brand. Made in Italy, the movement maintains a slim 3.5 mm profile and a 60-hour power reserve, all while improving upon previous iterations with elevated finishing, such as bridges and a mainplate treated with a 24-carat gold galvanic coating, radial Côtes de Genève, and fine perlage. The Red...
Fratello
Hands-On With The New Armin Strom Tribute 2 Aurum Edition
Sometimes, execution is a decisive factor in turning a simple concept into an awe-inspiring one. Armin Strom has mastered that art perfectly with its Tribute 2 series. Creating a watch powered by a caliber with a 100-hour power reserve is a simple goal on paper. With the Tribute line, Armin Strom has shown how to […] Visit Hands-On With The New Armin Strom Tribute 2 Aurum Edition to read the full article.
Deployant
New: IWC Portugieser Automatic 42 Year of the Horse
The Limited-Edition Portugieser Automatic 42 Year of the Horse is a commemorative timepiece released by IWC Schaffhausen to mark the upcoming Lunar New Year. Limited to 500 pieces, it features a 42.4mm stainless steel case, a burgundy dial with gold accents, and the IWC-manufactured 52011 caliber offering a seven-day power reserve. The rotor is shaped like a galloping horse, visible through the sapphire caseback.
Fratello
Hands-On With The A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Date In Pink Gold
You wouldn’t necessarily consider time-and-date watches when thinking of complicated haute horlogerie. Even with a power reserve indicator added in, it still doesn’t sound very impressive or complex, does it? Well, the A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Date proves that sometimes the simplest things require the hardest solutions. I got the chance to spend some […] Visit Hands-On With The A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Date In Pink Gold to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
Oris Celebrates the Year of the Horse with a New Limited Edition
One of the most reliable events on the watch release calendar every year is a glut of new watches in January celebrating the lunar new year, which this year begins on February 17. This is a very important holiday in many Asian countries, and brands with an international focus are not shy about dropping limited editions throughout the month to appeal (primarily) to customers in those territories. Of course, very often the watches themselves are quite cool outside the context of the lunar new year celebration itself, and it’s always kind of a fun spectator sport to see what brands come up with. Typically, brands will riff on the animal associated with a given year, and this year it’s the fire horse. First out of the gate: Oris, with the new Year of the Horse Limited Edition. The Year of the Horse Limited Edition can be defined by two prominent features: deep red tones, and the use of the Calibre 113 movement. The movement is somewhat unusual and not used frequently in the Oris catalog, so we’ll start there. This is a manually wound caliber with an impressive ten day power reserve, and also includes a “business calendar” that provides the day, date, and also displays the week of the year via a scale at the dial’s perimeter. The week indicator is an unusual, old-fashioned feature that holds a lot of charm, and provides an easy visual reference for how deep we are into a given year. The watch has a dark red dial with lighter red fumé subdials at 3 and 9 that in...
Teddy Baldassarre
Our Favorite Complicated Watches Of 2025
When the editorial team here at Teddy was tasked with picking some of our favorite complicated watches of 2025, there was an important distinction that had to be drawn. Of course, this was the fine line between our favorite watches that absolutely nail or master a specific complication rather than just the“most complicated” watches or watches with the most complications. This year we saw one of the best world timers for the money, a novel take on the moon-phase, and Audemars Piguet’s final Research & Development watch. So without further ado, here are our picks for our favorite complicated watches of 2025. [toc-section heading="Hamilton Khaki Field Automatic Power Reserve 40mm"] Sometimes we overlook the power reserve indicator as a complication in a watch - but indeed it is and Hamilton outfitted one of its most popular watches with a power reserve indicator on the dial thus setting the new Khaki Field Power Reserve to take its place among our favorite complicates watches of 2025. You will recognize this watch for bearing so many of the hallmarks of the Khaki Field Mechanical but with the added gas-tank indicator style gauge at the nine o’clock portion of the dial. It’s 40mm in diameter and a touch under 12mm in case height and boasts a new movement under the hood by way of the H23 manual winding caliber with 80 hours of power reserve and a slipping spring that allows for winding to exceed the manual maximum in a “quirk” that also serves to aid the watch...
Teddy Baldassarre
Our Favorite Chronos Of 2025
Chronographs are one of the most popular and yet under-appreciated watches out there. While we might take them for granted due to the relative ease of finding a nice one at just about any price point, the watchmaking on display can be as impressive as that from more exotic complications. 2025 was a fantastic year for fans of the chronograph with Omega releasing a manual wind iteration of their sportier ceramic take on the Speedmaster. And then there’s Breguet, who have been on a roll all year. Let’s take a look at our favorite new chronographs for this year and while not all of them made the list, there are some particularly robust honorable mentions here. [toc-section heading="Longines Spirit Flyback Chronograph"] The Longines Spirit Flyback Chronograph was given a refresh that, in my opinion, puts it in the running for one of the best chronographs out there period. It was previously offered only in a 42mm case but now comes in a fantastic compact 39.5mm wide stainless steel case that comes in at a lug-to-lug height of just around 47.4mm. Of course, it’s not just the case diameter that matters, it’s also the thickness and the reduction from a hefty 17mm to 13.4mm is truly transformative. The L792.4 calibre movement is a manual wind take on the Valjoux 7750 that also gets a contemporary makeover with a silicon balance spring and COSC certification on top of the 68-hour power reserve. While the price of $5,350 on strap and $5,500 might not shout “value” to some,...
Worn & Wound
Seiko Brings the Pink Panther to the Seiko 5 Sports Line
Thinking back to the good old days of the video store, there were three cartoon series that my siblings and I picked more than any others: Looney Tunes, The Simpsons, and The Pink Panther. And while the former two long-running shows have had many hundreds (and even thousands) of tie-in products well into the 2020s, Pink Panther doesn’t seem to hold nearly the same level of pop culture ubiquity these days. Still, that shade of Pepto Bismol pink, visible from space, immediately brings to mind the iconic theme song and mischievous hijinks of the titular Panther and his foe, the bumbling Inspector Clouseau. Seiko has taken up the Pink Panther mantle with a new limited edition Seiko 5 Sports watch, and the bright hue isn’t the only clue to be found. Based on the classic and ever-popular SKX series, the Pink Panther edition’s most immediately recognizable trait is its bright pink dial, and matching pink bezel numerals and markings, which also feature the cartoon’s playful typeface, a welcome deviation from more straitlaced designs. At 38mm in diameter and 44.2mm lug-to-lug, the Pink Panther is a true sports watch. The pink dial sports a date window at 3 o’clock, LumiBrite on the hands and indexes, and a cheeky trail of paw prints climbing up the left side of the face. Inside is a 4R36 automatic movement with manual winding, featuring 41 hours of power reserve and a stop second hand function. All of this is visible through an opaque pink caseback that also features th...
Monochrome
The ABCs of Time - Your Guide to Functional Watch Bezels, From Diver to Tachymeter and Rare Ones
By and large, most information on your watch comes from the dial. Sometimes there are functions on the back, like a power reserve indicator or an addition to the case, like on the Pierre Kunz Spirit Diver with a Boyle-Mariotte depth gauge that can measure down to 80 metres. Functional watch bezels, however, add functionality […]
SJX Watches
Hands On: Chopard L.U.C. Grand Strike
The 30th anniversary of the Chopard L.U.C. manufacture was one anniversary among many this year, but it will likely be remembered thanks to the Grand Strike, the most complicated watch in Chopard’s history and its first grande sonnerie. Building on the successful Full Strike minute repeater architecture and making full use of the brand’s patented sapphire gongs, the Grand Strike is a chronometer-certified two-train clock watch with a push-button minute repeater. In this context, the presence of the tourbillon is almost a footnote. Initial thoughts I can count on one hand the number of brands that have created their own grande sonnerie wristwatch. It’s one of the few things in watchmaking that’s proven challenging enough to still be rare, even in the days of computer-aided design (CAD) and advanced manufacturing technology like wire erosion. For this reason, the grande sonnerie has a towering cultural presence among watchmakers and collectors, looming above all other complications. For Chopard, the Grand Strike represents the culmination of 30 years of the L.U.C. manufacture, the brand’s haute horlogerie division. The first impression of the Grand Strike is one of extraordinary depth. There’s not much of a dial, save for the minutes scale etched on the inside of the sapphire crystal, and the small concentric sub-dials for the dual power reserve displays. This depth shrinks the watch visually, and it feels dense and compact despite its rather large 43 mm size and...
Worn & Wound
Breguet Ends a Big Anniversary Year with the Impressive Expérimentale 1
As if winning the top prize at the GPHG were not enough, Breguet has capped off their big 250th anniversary year with the launch of what is surely their most horologically interesting and cutting edge release in years. The Expérimentale 1 is an ambitious foray into contemporary haute horlogerie from a brand that more than most is associated with classicism. It incorporates and merges multiple technologies and advancements into a remarkably cohesive idea that might even have those of us who have always bristled at the controversial Marine collection rethinking its potential. The showstopping feature of the new Expérimentale 1 is the tourbillon, the first ever to beat at 10 Hz. Bregust is quick to remind us that most tourbillons run at a rate of 2.5 Hz, so this represents a dramatic increase and in theory should provide a variety of chronometric benefits, including rate stability over the duration of the power reserve and a better baseline level of accuracy. But it’s not just a high frequency tourbillon. Breguet has also developed and introduced a new magnetic escapement that is designed to provide constant force to the balance. The logic here is fairly straightforward even if the mechanics themselves are, frankly, somewhat difficult wrap your arms around without real watchmaking experience (this, by the way, is essentially my constant of being as I observe similar watchmaking advancements – wide eyed and impressed but quite frequently confused by all the math and ph...
Worn & Wound
Did Tudor Read Our Minds? The Ranger is Now Available in a 36mm Size (With a New Dial Color)
Tudor just released a watch that fans have been clamoring for and perhaps manifesting since at least 2022. That’s the year Tudor released a new 39mm Ranger to a great deal of fanfare and also a great deal of “Well, this would be even better if it was just a little smaller.” To be fair, that 39mm Ranger was perceived by most as an improvement over the 41mm Ranger, introduced in 2014 during an era when the enthusiast voice demanding vintage inspired watches match actual vintage proportions was much quieter. Now, with a new Ranger in 36mm, it feels like it’s finally back to the correct size. What’s more, Tudor has taken this as an opportunity to release the Ranger in a new dial color. The “Dune” colorway is a really appealing, creamy off-white with contrasting black indices and Arabic numerals. The hands match the color of the dial but have been given a black outline to improve legibility, which looks great. The key difference between the black dial (also available in a 36mm size and unchanged in layout from the larger version) is that the Dune dial does not have lumed numerals, but small lume plots next to each numeral. The case, of course, is smaller, but the general design and proportions do not appear to have changed. It’s dominated by a brushed finish which bolsters the tool watch roots of the Ranger, and has a water resistance rating of 100 meters. The Ranger runs on the COSC certified MT5400 automatic movement, which has 70 hours of power reserve on...
SJX Watches
Chopard’s Striking Vision Fully Realised - L.U.C Grand Strike
Chopard marks 30 years of the Chopard Manufacture with the L.U.C Grand Strike – its most ambitious complication to date, a minute repeating clock watch with grande et petite sonnerie striking on a pair of sapphire gongs. This comes on the heels of Chopard’s sister brand, Ferdinand Berthoud’s Naissance d’une Montre 3, making 2025 arguably the most significant year for Chopard, product wise, since the 1997 launch of L.U.C. Initial Thoughts For hundreds of years the sound of clocks coordinated human society. In fact, the very word “clock” comes from the Latin word clocca, meaning bell. Before the noise pollution of the modern day, the bells of clock towers could disseminate accurate time over several miles. It is only that many first complicated the first watches, which were made by clock makers during the 16th century, were equipped with strikes. In 2016 Chopard launched its first self-developed chiming watch, the L.U.C Full Strike, a two-train trip repeater with sapphire gongs. It is not much of a surprise, I’ve multiple people speculate that a grande sonnerie was the next step given the design depictions Chopard made with the Full Strike. Even the name, “Full Strike” sounds like the name of a grande sonnerie, not just a repeater. The Grand Strike is class leading technically, it’s only weakness, the middling strike work power reserve is easily forgiven when considering its size. Aesthetically, however, the watch struggles, at least for me, though the si...
Monochrome
First Look - The new Kallinich Claeys Einser Zentralsekunde Voyager Edition
Founded by former A. Lange & Söhne watchmakers Johannes Kallinich and Thibault Claeys, indie watchmaking atelier Kallinich Claeys has quickly become one of the most interesting names in contemporary Glashütte watchmaking. Their debut watch, the Einser Zentralsekunde, introduced a clear design approach and a thoughtfully constructed, in-house movement with central seconds and a linear power reserve […]
SJX Watches
Highlights: Independent Watchmaking at Phillips Hong Kong Fall 2025
A window into the early days of contemporary independent watchmaking, the upcoming Phillips Hong Kong auction offers an unexpectedly diverse line-up, including a single-owner collection of 1990s watches. The indie selection ranges from Daniel Roth in the late 1980s to Philippe Dufour’s influential finissage. And the historically-minded enthusiast will also notice the catalog includes work from an era when star independent watchmakers, such as Louis Cottier, counted brands as their clients. Lot 982 – Daniel Roth Ref. 2187 Tourbillon “Double Face” After helping establish Breguet as a Swiss watchmaker, Daniel Roth established his eponymous brand in 1988 with his inaugural model being the ref. C187/2187, a tourbillon wristwatch with two faces. The front indicates the time and showcases the tourbillon at six o’clock, while the reverse is home to the date and power reserve indicator. Despite the strikingly exotic look for the time – remember this was the late 1980s – the tourbillon actually employs the familiar Lemania tourbillon calibre, unsurprising given that Mr Roth helped with the construction of the calibre while he was at Breguet. While the bones are Lemania, the aesthetic is uniquely Daniel Roth. The grey dial has a pinstripe guilloche while the three-armed seconds hand indicates the time on a three-layer scale. Just last year, Louis Vuitton resurrected the Daniel Roth marque with a new generation of the iconic tourbillon powered by an all-new calibre deve...
Monochrome
Introducing - A new Rose Gold Version of the Longines Master Chronograph Moonphase
It’s easy to almost exclusively think about Longines’ Heritage or Spirit models, for them to be visually attractive, vintage-inspired models with a lot of arguments for a seasoned crowd. Recent watches, such as the Ultra-Chron Classic, the Spirit Pilot Flyback or the Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve, have somehow stolen the show. There’s (much) more […]
SJX Watches
It’s Not Easy Being Green - Except for the Seiko Alpinist
Seiko’s evergreen mountaineering companion, the Prospex Alpinist, enters its fourth decade with its fourth major update. The 2025 edition gains an a longer power reserve, a scratch-resistant Diashield case coating, and - most notably - the return of vintage styling cues from the first generation, including the italic “Alpinist” signature on the dial. The new generation (refs. SPB503, SPB505, SPB507) debuts in variants including the signature forest green, along with a limited edition of the outgoing generation exclusively for Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, and Brunei in an icy white (ref. SPB532). Though it commands a slightly higher price than the outgoing model, the enhancements make it a more capable and durable field watch, keeping the value proposition firmly intact. Initial thoughts This year the iconic green-and-gilt Alpinist turns 30, though it seems to have aged gracefully, with the latest generation being the best since its original debut. Though the Prospex “X” emblem and “three days” script depart from the model’s earlier design, the return of the “Alpinist” script is a welcome touch. Personally, I’ve always favoured its bigger brother, the Landmaster, which has higher specs for a higher price. But for most aspiring mountaineers, the much more accessible and conventionally attractive Alpinist is a better option. Since early references of the Alpinist are incredibly difficult to find – at least by Seiko standards – the new ...