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New: Ball Roadmaster Marine GMT
Ball releases additions to their Roadmaster Marine GMT collection with meteorite dials. Three references are released. Release info with commentary.
Results for Three-Quarter Plate (3/4-Platine)
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Monochrome
Introducing - Hublot Classic Fusion Yohji Yamamoto All Black Camo
While Hublot’s Classic Fusion model might look tame in comparison to the brand’s muscular Big Bang quarterbacks, in 1980 it sent shockwaves through the industry. With its unorthodox combination of a gold 37mm porthole-shaped case with exposed screws in the bezel paired with a black rubber strap, Carlo Crocco’s Hublot (French for porthole) watch was […]
Teddy Baldassarre
Our Favorite Sports Watches Of 2025
The versatile sports watch is probably the most difficult category to do one of these year-end roundups for simply due to how many releases can qualify. The editorial team here at Teddy decided to choose our favorites that push the category forward while retaining what we all love best from some of the best sports watch collections out there. It was an excellent year for iterating some of the most well-loved collections from Oris, Tudor, Seiko, and others. So, let’s not waste any more time and get into our favorite sports watches of 2025. [toc-section heading="Seiko Samurai"] Seiko updated their Samurai in 2025 by delivering on one of the most persistent pleas by enthusiasts and housing it in a smaller case. The previous iteration of Seiko’s more obscure (yet no less respected) dive watches came in a big 44mm wide case that has been shrunk down to a manageable 41.6mm wide and 12.6mm thick with a 49mm lug-to-lug height. Naturally water resistance is still a solid 200m. The new Seiko Samurai is one of my personal favorites of 2025 though I know a few people still have gripes with the choice of an aluminum bezel rather than ceramic. But past that, the sleek angular aesthetic and nice tapered three-link bracelet (which has a much more manageable 20mm lug width down from 22mm) make for a fantastic sports watch priced under $600. - Bilal Khan [toc-section heading="Oris ProPilot Date"] This year, Oris rounded things out with one of its most compelling releases in recent mem...
SJX Watches
Best of 2025: Independent Watchmaking
Independent watchmaking presented relatively few genuinely new releases in 2025. Many watchmakers instead reintroduced familiar models in new configurations or colourways - an approach typically associated with larger brands. The strongest releases were excellent, but they were few and far between. Our highlights reflect that: Urban Jürgensen’s relaunch stood out for its confidence and momentum, while Petermann Bédat and Raúl Pagès showed there is still room to say something new within the time-only format. Urban Jürgensen UJ-1 Tourbillon – SJX When I first heard about Urban Jürgensen being revived, I was sceptical. Could an investor halfway across the world and a watchmaker busy with his own brand pull it off? As it turned out, they could. The Rosenfields, Andy and Alex, father and son, and Kari Voutilainen, managed to put together a collection of three watches – all impressively conceived and executed – and then deliver a good number of watches in the months since the launch in mid-2025. The flagship of the Urban Jürgensen line-up and clearly its best creation to date is the UJ-1. A tourbillon with remontoir, the UJ-1 is modelled on the Oval pocket watch that was made by Derek Pratt for Urban Jürgensen. The movement instantly feels like it was descended from the Oval, which is a feat considering the disparity in scale. Mr Voutilainen managed to translate many of the key elements of the Oval into wristwatch format, including the “floating” barrel and...
Worn & Wound
The Lord Elgin “Chevron” Direct Read 7775 Jump Hour: Mid-Century Watch Design at Its Peak
Never has there been a more attention-grabbing timepiece in my watch box than the Lord Elgin Direct Read 7775, commonly nicknamed the Chevron by enthusiasts. Every collector has a watch (or two, or three, or four, or five, or…) they’ve always wanted to add to their collection but can’t, for reasons like price, availability, or both. The Chevron has been near the top of my list for many years. When it was released to the public in 1957, it cost customers $79.50, the equivalent of roughly $917.67 in 2025. While fortunately not fetching that price on the market currently, a rough condition example can still set a collector back hundreds of dollars. The disheartening state of my wallet has made acquiring one infeasible and, even more so, impractical. However, when I saw a Chevron in good condition pop up on eBay for a solid price a few months ago, a good friend of mine and I worked out a deal to acquire it and finally add one to my collection (thanks again, Mike!). Now, with an example of my own, I can rest assured knowing that my years of yearning were not in vain–this watch is truly a joy to own. History and Rundown on the Direct Reading Line When my love for the Chevron model first began, very little information regarding the watch’s history was available online. Outside of the occasional blog post or auction listing, there were no published articles or deep dives available (or at least easily locatable). Research conducted for this article was sparked when I ca...
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...
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New: Citizen Attesa Platinum Shine
Citizen releases their Duratect Platinum recrystallised titanium technology on the popular Attesa collection. Three new limited editions are released.
Worn & Wound
Photo Report: Central Europe’s Watch Fair - Micro Praha 2025
Editor’s Note: In addition to being a writer and member of the international watch media community, Bhanu Chopra is also the co-founder of Micro Praha, a regional watch fair in Prague, which just celebrated its third year. We asked Bhanu to share his thoughts on the evolution of the event, as well as some photos from this year’s festivities. Regional watch fairs have been around for several years, but their focus remained mostly mainstream brands and few independent brands. I remember visiting Vienna Time and Munich Time in the mid-2000s, and seeing Lange & Sohne and Habring booths in the same hall. Three years ago, Ondrej Vislocky and I, two watch enthusiasts and friends, took the initiative to create a micro brand watch fair for the Central European region. Prague happens to be in the very heart of Central Europe with easy access to Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Poland, Italy, and even the Nordic countries. It also happens to be the city where we live. We are big fans of micro brands, so we wanted to bring our enthusiasm to Micro Praha. The U.K. has a very active micro indie scene with fairs throughout the year. There are watch fairs in Germany, France, Italy, and Poland, but the participation remains very regional. Micro Praha brings together brands from around the globe. This year 82 brands participated, representing 24 countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Poland, the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, Finland, Singapore, Taiwan, Sweden, the U.K., and Czech Republic....
Worn & Wound
Introducing the William Wood Vintage Triumph
While there are many watches inspired by military, naval, or overlanding missions, there are surprisingly few in tribute to firefighting, despite the profession’s propensity for gear and danger. Sure, Sinn makes timepieces in their EZM line for German firefighters to wear into burning buildings, but they’re more utilitarian than conceptual; tool watches rather than tributes. Enter William Wood, a British watchmaker founded by Jonny Garret and named after his late grandfather, who was a decorated firefighter. All of the brand’s pieces are made from upcycled firefighting materials, with portions of the proceeds from each collection benefitting firefighting charities globally. With their newest-and perhaps most eccentric-timepiece, the Vintage Triumph, William Wood continues that legacy. The Vintage Triumph capitalizes on the brawn of the profession it’s inspired by, with a beefy 41mm case diameter. The case itself is gold-plated with both brushed and polished finishes and promises 100 meters of water resistance, should the wearer ever trade fire for its natural opponent. The diamond-cut dial wears a celebratory shade of aged champagne, which is paired with polished gold numerals and a gold bezel with black markers, creating a rather exclamatory visual profile, furthered by the date window at the 6 o’clock position, and the subdials (inspired by fire engine pump gauges) at 3 and 9. Underneath it all is a Sellita SW510 Chronograph movement, which promises a 48-ho...
Worn & Wound
Nomos Caps off a Big 2025 with a New Pair of Limited Edition Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimers
It’s possible that 2025 might wind up being remembered as the year Nomos got its groove back. Of course, you’d have to argue that they ever lost it in the first place for that to be true, and I don’t know I’d quite go that far. But there’s no denying that they had their first true breakout watch in a very long time in 2025. The Club Sport Worldtimer, which debuted in April at Watches & Wonders, is almost certainly going to end up on a range of “Best of the Year” lists as December marches forward, and I can say without any hyperbole that it’s one of the top two or three watches from this year that I’m asked about by readers and collectors in the community. The fact that the limited editions that were part of the initial launch sold out so quickly is proof that the watch is resonating with enthusiasts. Nomos added a trio of additional limited editions to the range back in October, and now, just in time for the holidays, they’ve added two more. Like that earlier set, the new Reverie and Roam models play on a similar theme. In this case, it’s the versatility of the classic champagne dial. The Reverie has a champagne dial base and is matched primarily with yellow accents (the outer cities ring, and within the 24 hour subdial). The complementary shades play well with each other, and the watch has a distinctly classic aesthetic. Nomos doesn’t really do “vintage inspired” but these tones make me think of old Datejusts and the types of watches you migh...
Worn & Wound
Louis Erard and Konstantin Chaykin are Back with a New Limited Edition in a New Case
If you read Worn & Wound with any regularity, you know that we’re pretty big fans of Louis Erard’s limited edition collaborative regulators around here. What can we say? There’s something incredibly fun and appealing about having a great independent watchmaker tied to a watch that’s on the accessible side. That said, there are fair criticisms of these limited editions, particularly as they’ve been “normalized” and we’ve all been conditioned to just kind of expect them two or three times per year. The one I hear most often is that Louis Erard is that each new collaboration effectively amounts to a dial variant, a skin grafted onto the the brand’s regulator format doesn’t necessarily reflect the creativity of the watchmaker being referenced. But on handful of occasions (like with Alain Silberstein and Vianney Halter) Louis Erard allow themselves to expand beyond the dial and add flourishes to the case as well. These editions, in my mind, are even more effective because they represent another rung of ambition in this ongoing project. The brand’s latest collaboration, another release with Konstantin Chaykin, follows this tradition with a reimagined case construction and dial layout while maintaining a real connection to Chaykin’s aesthetic. The Louis Erard x Konstantin Chaykin Unforgettable is based on the Slavic myth of the Frog Princess, and the dial looks like, well, a frog, with big reptilian “eyes” at 9 and 3. If you’re used to Louis Erard’...
Worn & Wound
Ressence Introduces a Type 1° with a Touch of Gold for Dubai Watch Week
Dubai Watch Week is here, and with it, so are a lot of new watches. Ressence is marking the moment with a new limited edition take on their Type 1°, pairing what is maybe the most core model in their lineup with a rose gold-plated dial to create something that feels both familiar and novel all at once. Produced in a limited edition of 70 pieces worldwide, this is the Ressence Type 1°RG. Ressence, as a brand, is many things to many people. For some, it’s a colorful, exuberant exploration of the fun side of independent watches - a very high-end G-SHOCK of sorts, a balm for the soul weighed down far too often by the staid and serious watches that so often clog our Instagram feeds. For others, Ressence is that staid, serious watch; a brand pushing to the extremes of what a watch can be, exploring not just the complexities of modern watchmaking, but challenging the very nature of how time can be displayed and perceived. Naturally, each of these slightly pretentiously phrased extremes captures only a part of the whole; like most things, the reality of Ressence falls somewhere in the middle of these two perspectives. Still, Ressence is a brand that deservedly invites interest, and this latest release is no exception. In practice, the Type 1° is the prototypical Ressence, a pretty straightforward summation of what it takes to be a Ressence watch, and, as such, it has often served as a platform for the brand to play with its own aesthetic. In the past, we’ve seen Ressence ...
Deployant
New: Ressence Type 1 Round Rose Gold
Ressence releases the latest addition to their popular Type 1 Round case with a rose gold model in a rose gold plated dial with a soft, copper luminescence.
Worn & Wound
Review: the Zelos Comet 39 ‘MOP’
Singaporean independent brand Zelos is known for their colorful and texture-forward dials that strike a nice balance between affordability and unique design. Each new creation seems to drive their overall image forward in eclectic ways that keep the brand from fitting too rigidly into any one box. While Zelos is often associated with their sub $1,000 tool watches, they have made spectacular forays into the space of haute complications and uncommon materials in recent years. Their release of the Mirage in 2020, a watch that featured a tourbillon at a competitive $11,000 pricepoint, and their work using tantalum as a case material, is proof that the brand is committed to stretching the imagination regarding what a microbrand is capable of. Their newest release, the Comet 39, joins the ranks of the recent trend of stone dials we’ve seen permeating the hobby in the past few years. Since the trend is fairly new, my experience with stone dials is limited, and I was looking forward to getting hands-on with this piece. I was lucky to be able to pick up this review watch in-person at the Windup Watch Fair in New York City a few weeks ago while I was visiting. Complementary sizing by David Lane Design at Windup allowed me to wear the watch around the city during my trip and get a sense for how it moved with me during high-volume days. The Mother of Pearl (MOP) edition is one in a series of three Comet watches in the brand’s new Comet 39 line, all of which are crafted with vari...
Worn & Wound
WU25 Panel: Worn & Wound Contributors Discuss Trends and Watch Culture
Without Worn & Wound, there is no Windup Watch Fair, and this panel comprises W&W; contributors Brett Braley-Palko, Meg Tocci, and Griffin Bartsch as they discuss the state of watch collecting, shifting and emerging trends, and adjacent hobbies. It’s a lively conversation moderated by Director of Editorial at Worn & Wound, Zach Kazan, and a fantastic conversation about how passion and perspectives keep watch culture strong. A video of the full talk and Q&A; is below; a transcript is also provided for those who want to read the highlights. The following conversation has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity. Zach Kazan: Hello, everyone. Thanks for coming to the first panel of day two of the Wind-Up Watch Fair in New York City. I’m Zach Kazan, Director of Editorial at Worn & Wound, and I’m really happy to be moderating this panel. I’ve wanted to do a panel like this for a long time-just getting contributors together to talk about their interest in watches and how working in watch media influences their collecting and view on the hobby. I’m lucky to have three great contributors here who were willing to participate and humor me a bit. We have Griffin Bartsch, contributor for Worn & Wound. Griffin, thanks for being here. Griffin Bartsch: My pleasure. I try not to miss a Wind-Up. Zach Kazan: Your attendance has been duly noted and appreciated. We also have Brett Braley-Palko, who’s working the Estabrook booth in the EDC area of the show. Brett, great to have y...
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...
SJX Watches
Report: Geneva Fall Auctions 2025
The just-concluded Geneva auction season was mostly a plateau with several striking peaks and a few lows. The peaks were marked by desirable timepieces that outperformed by far, yet shared little in common with one another in terms of style or period. The peaks ranged from multiple F.P. Journe watches to a diamond-set Patek Philippe ref. 3424/1 “Gilbert Albert” to the Breguet four-minute tourbillon pocket watch from 1809 to the Instagram-ready Patek Philippe ref. 3970 in “salmon” with Breguet numerals. Despite such diverse taste, the small pool of bidders seemed to have one thing in common: they were all focused on a “trophy” watch. The Christie’s saleroom in the Four Seasons. Image – Christie’s With few exceptions, contemporary watches from mainstream brands were cold, while vintage watches were mostly lukewarm – but as always there were exceptions. An Patek Philippe ref. 570 with a black dial signed “E. Gubelin” sold for an impressive CHF419,100 including fees, or US$523,000, at Christie’s, while Phillips sold a Rolex Daytona ref. 6263 “RCO” (or “Oyster Sotto”) for an equally impressive CHF1.39 million, or US$1.73 million – close to the historical peak for the model. A vintage watch that surprised on the downside was the 1927 Rolex Oyster worn by Mercedes Gleitze when she became the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1927 – a landmark in Rolex lore. Though it sold for CHF1.39 million, or US$1.74 million, there was just one bi...
Worn & Wound
Another Studio Underd0g Limited Edition Sees the 03SERIES Getting a Taste of the Good Life (Courtesy of Massena LAB)
The great paradox of many brands being so good at what they do is that they’re often so technically precise they lose a bit of personality in the process. Somehow, there’s a trade-off that many watch brands make in striving for the best, only to just miss the mark when it comes to anchoring their product to anything beyond technical specs, brand recognition, and the (oftentimes) half-hearted attempts to jump on a trend. We have, in many ways, become accustomed to this middling way in which watchmakers (and the same can be said for fashion brands and penmakers, truth be told). We have grown used to a sanitized, diluted version of personality for the sake of quarterly targets and minimizing social media backlash. It has, in effect, caused a chilling effect in risk-taking, in humor, in anything new beyond a different dial color here or a new steel bracelet there. It was with this sort of cynicism in mind that I was pleasantly surprised to see the latest release between Studio Underd0g and Massena LAB: the 03SERIES Champagne & Caviar. Finally!, I thought, scrolling through the photos, now this is a watch with personality. And then, of course, my second thought: if it isn’t actually made in the Champagne region of France, should it technically be called Sparkling Wine & Caviar? I’ll leave the purists among us in the comments to weigh in. The two collaborators couldn’t have been better suited for one another in partnering together on a release that’s as cheeky as it ...
Worn & Wound
Everything You Need to Know About this Year’s Vortic Military Edition Releases
Next week is Veterans Day, which for the last several years has marked an important moment for Vortic, the Colorado based watch brand specializing in repurposing vintage pocket watch movements and dials into wrist worn cases that serve as special tributes to America’s watchmaking past. Each year on Veterans Day, Vortic releases their Military Edition, a special series of watches that incorporate movements and dials sourced from watches commissioned by the United States military. The watches have been a big hit for Vortic since their introduction, usually selling out within minutes of going on sale. They draw not only watch collectors, but of course have a natural appeal to history lovers and collectors of military odds and ends – they really thread the needle perfectly across multiple bands of enthusiasm. This year’s release has some additional special significance as a total of three distinct options will be available when these watches launch, including the first ever Vortic watches running on a vintage Swiss movement. A quick recap of what the Military Edition actually consists of as a watch is probably the best place to start. Watches in the Military Edition are sourced from the AN5740-1 pocket watch, also known as the “Master Navigational Watch”, built to the specs of the Army Air Corp during World War II by Elgin, Waltham, and Hamilton. As with other historic watches built to military specs, the dials were standardized across all manufacturers, and each M...
Worn & Wound
Furlan Marri Expands the Cornes de Vache Collection with the Blue Sector
In the ever-growing sea of impressive microbrands, Swiss upstarts Furlan Marri have carved out a niche of dressy watches with vintage flair. That’s not giving them full credit, of course-they’ve also managed to create a wholly recognizable visual style within a few short years, to the point where “Furlan Marri-esque” is a perfectly reasonable compound adjective to sling around. Continuing their current theme of circular motifs, the brand is expanding their Cornes de Vache (“cow horns” in French, referring to long, curved lugs) collection of automatic watches with the Blue Sector joining the lineup, bringing a classically upscale blue and silver colorway to a collection already bursting with color. Like the other Cornes de Vache models already available, the Blue Sector is housed in a circular 37.5mm polished stainless steel case with cow-horn lugs, connected by a bridge at the 6 and 12 o’clock positions. Lug-to-lug, the case measures in at 46mm, with a 10.5mm thickness, placing it on the small-to-medium side of the dress watch spectrum. The sector dial from which the reference pulls its name features the same layout as the other Sector models, with double-stamped indications and applied Breguet-style indexes. The dark blue of the dial is further diversified by the textured center circle, split into four. The 12, 3, 6, and 9 numerals echo the quartering theme, and feature an elegant, vintage script. These numerals, along with the hands, indexes, and other ...
Teddy Baldassarre
Rolex 5513 Submariner Review: The Timeless Vintage Rolex?
In the world of Rolex, most people’s minds go straight to rarity, unattainability, and exclusivity. And in so many cases that rings true – except (and you may find this hard to believe) for the Submariner. That’s right, Rolex’s stalwart and most ubiquitous watch is also, kind of, its most accessible on the secondary market… and I am talking vintage and neovintage here. Sure, there are rare examples like Explorer dials (we will get to that in a bit), and early ref. 1680 Red Submariners that fetch a pretty penny at auction or from a vintage dealer. But there’s a very real reason for that. Those watches in particular fall into a bucket shared by many collectible rarities: They were only produced for a very short period of time. But there were many variations of vintage Subs, some rarer than others. And some still that weren’t rare at all. And the best example of that is the Rolex 5513, a Submariner model so common that it was one of Rolex’s most popular and best selling over the course of its – wait for it – 17-year run. Rolex 5513 History The Rolex Submariner ref. 5513 was in production from 1962 until 1989, and while there are some pockets of special ref. 5513 models within that run, it is for the most part of one the brand’s longest-selling and most-produced Submariners, or even sports watches full stop (the Explorer ref. 1016 has entered the chat). In 1962, Rolex had been producing its Submariner reference 5512 for about three years. The 5512 was a n...
Worn & Wound
Citizen Introduces a Trio of Limited Edition Series8 Watches Inspired by Japanese Cityscapes
Citizen has introduced a trio of limited edition watches in their Series8 collection, all of which are inspired by Japanese cityscapes and urban environments. It’s a bit of a departure for the Series8 collection in terms of aesthetics, or at least the point of inspiration, as these watches have typically ruminations on the natural world, or are simply stark, traditional designs that highlight the geometry of the case and integrated bracelet. These new watches all have quite a bit going on in terms of dial texture and the use of gold tones, neither of which are exactly subtle in these references. The centerpiece of the three new LEs is a new 880 Mechanical, reference NB6035-55H, which has a gray coated case and bracelet and a textured white dial with gold tone accents. According to the Citizen, the design inspiration here is that of city lights on fallen snow against an asphalt backdrop. Of the three new watches seen here, this is the only one equipped with a GMT complication, so we also get a white and black 24 hour bezel that complements the dial quite nicely. The movement is a Citizen caliber 9054 (made by Miyota), which has local jumping hour capabilities. The case measures 41mm in diameter and 13.55mm tall, and it’s a limited edition of 1,600 pieces with a retail price of $1,695. The other two watches in Citizen’s cityscape trilogy are both 890 Mechanical references, essentially a diver with an internal rotating bezel. The NB6060-58H is likely the most straight...
Worn & Wound
Bell & Ross Introduces the BR-X3 in Two Metals
It’s all about case and dial materials these days in the design world it seems, and Bell & Ross have certainly not shied away from experimentation. The French brand expands their repertoire of big, brash, and blocky timepieces with the new BR-X3 line, conceived as an avant-garde interpretation of the classic BR-03 design, and a cousin of the popular BR-X5, featuring two new models: Titanium Black and Blue Steel. While the names of these new references are straightforward, their designs are everything but. Both feature the iconic rounded-square look that graces most Bell & Ross watches, with a round dial accentuated by a square case. Both cases measure 41mm in diameter, but likely wear bigger due to their shape and 13.30mm thickness. Three-plate dial construction, an openworked rubber strap, an anti-reflective sapphire crystal, and 100 meters of water resistance are also standard on both watches. As a final shared element, both references are powered by a Calibre BR-CAL.323 automatic mechanical movement, which promises a hefty power reserve of 70- hours. The differences between the two BR-X3 models are easily explained by their nomenclature, but worth diving into further nonetheless. Titanium watches are massively popular these days, and for good reason: they wear incredibly light on the wrist, regardless of size, and promise durability in spite of that weight. The Titanium Black BR-X3 follows that trend, featuring a micro-blasted grade 2 titanium case in an appropriate...
Teddy Baldassarre
Rolex Daytona Rainbow: When An Icon Goes Colorfully Gem-Set
Aside from the watch that was made legendary by Paul Newman - and which would forever, unofficially, carry the famous actor’s name - there is probably no version of the Rolex Daytona that is more coveted than the “Rainbow” models that bring a meticulously designed and eye-catchingly beautiful assortment of colorful precious stones to the bezel, case, and dial of the motorsport-inspired luxury chronograph. Here is the story behind the Rolex Daytona “Rainbow” and why it has become yet another smash hit for the Crown in the 21st Century. To start off, it’s worth answering the question, “Why is the Rolex Daytona so famous in the first place?” The model’s success story begins in 1962, when Rolex, hot on the heels of other genre-defining watch releases like the Explorer, GMT-Master, and Submariner several years earlier, became the official timekeeper of the “Great American Race,” the Daytona 500. In celebration of the partnership, the Swiss brand introduced its original “Cosmograph” racing-inspired chronograph watch the following year. The watch, notable for its tachymeter bezel and three-register dial design, adopted the name “Daytona” shortly thereafter and really took the enthusiast community by storm when actor, director, and part-time racecar driver Paul Newman began wearing one regularly. Newman became a big-screen icon in the 1970s, around the same time that auto racing took off in popularity as a spectator sport, and this confluence of...
Deployant
New: Gerald Charles Masterlink Gem Set
Gerald Charles extends their Masterlink collection with three new references which are gem set, released in Geneva Watch Days on 4th September. 2025.
Worn & Wound
This Isn’t Just Another Octo - This is Art for the Wrist
Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo line has become synonymous with its technical prowess and record-breaking, ultra-thin designs (and for good reason). The collection has notched a whopping ten world records in just over a decade. However, we’ve also seen a softer side to the Octo through Bulgari’s more artistic interpretations of the iconic design. The most well-known are likely the sketch editions. As the name suggests, these models celebrate the original sketches of the design rendered by the brand’s Product Creation Executive Director, Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani. Yet, these more playful and aesthetic-focused editions have also been molded through collaborations with a wide array of co-creators from architects like Kazuyo Sejima and Tadao Ando to conductors and composers like Lorenzo Viotti. Among the Bulgari Octo mashups, the most striking have come from artists themselves. One of the earliest editions came back in 2015 with the Chinese artist Simon Ma. His collection of 13 piece unique watches explored the horse motif of the Chinese zodiac using traditional Chinese calligraphy techniques handpainted on the dial. Three years later, Bulgari enlisted the Japanese painter Hiroshi Senju to interpret a watch with his signature exploration of waterfalls. The resulting design employed mother of pearl on the dial to create a waterfall effect. Next, the Roman Maison took a more contemporary approach, tapping the Japanese artist Tatsuo Miyajima. This collaboration took a le...
Teddy Baldassarre
ETA 2824: The History and Legacy of a Legendary Workhorse Caliber
The ETA 2824 caliber has been a presence in the world of mechanical wristwatches for more than 50 years, helping the Swiss watchmaking industry forge a path through the Quartz Crisis and serving as the engine for hundreds of three-handed timepieces from an array of brands, large and small. While it is a rarity here in the 21st Century, its legacy can still be seen across the horological world - from the proliferation of similar movements by makers like Sellita to the increasing ubiquity of the ETA 2824’s souped-up successor, the Powermatic 80. Read on to learn everything you need to know about the ETA 2824. A (Very Brief) History of ETA Nearly everyone that follows the wristwatch industry has heard of ETA, and most of those have probably worn a watch with an ETA movement, but few are likely aware of the Swiss movement maker’s long and convoluted history. We generally trace its origins back to the formation of the historical watchmaking firm Eterna, in 1856 in the Swiss town of Grenchen. But in reality its roots reach even deeper. Eterna is perhaps most famous today as the maker of the Kon-Tiki dive watch, and it is currently owned by the Hong Kong-based Citychamp Watch and Jewellery Group. Originally however, the firm was a manufacturer of ébauches - unassembled movements for sale to outside watchmakers - and was named “Dr. Girard & Schild” for its founders, Dr. Joseph Girard and Urs Schild. Renamed Schild Frères by the next generation of owners, the compan...
SJX Watches
Hands On: Panerai Revives the Luminor 5218
There were few brands as hot as Panerai in the 2000s, and now the brand is revisiting its glory days with the Luminor Marina Militare 44 mm PAM05218. Visually, the PAM05218 a faithful remake of the Luminor ref. 5218-202/A of 1993, a “Pre-Vendome” model that became one of the most desirable watches of the 2000s. The watch retains the same design and many of the details, including the “non matching” hands, but has been upgraded with modern amenities, including a diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating for the case and a three-day movement. Initial thoughts Enthusiasts who were in the hobby in the 2000s will remember the frenzy around Panerai, which was probably the fastest growing brand during the period. Many models sold over retail, sometimes for multiples. The “vintage” models like the Luminor ref. 5218-202/A were even more valuable; it cost a healthy, mid-five figures at the time. In fact, the ref. 5218-202/A cost more than an F.P. Journe Resonance at the time. In retrospect, most of it was comical yet also seems familiar given the happenings in recent years. Times have changed, but the PAM05218 is essentially unchanged from the original – which is great for those who appreciate the functional, stark design of Panerai’s core models. I like those designs, and I like the PAM05218. If there’s one Panerai in the current catalogue I would buy, it is this one. At a distance, the PAM05218 is indistinguishable from the original, but up close it is clearly a new watc...
Teddy Baldassarre
25 Of The Best Red Dial Watches
More so than almost any other color option, a watch with a red dial begs to be noticed - whether the watch is large or small, simple or complicated, soberly matte or luxuriously shiny in its choice of case material. It’s not hard to see why: crimson and scarlet tones have long symbolized heat, sensuality, and even hints of temptation and danger. Best of all, for anyone inclined to take the plunge into red-dial watches, there are more options these days than ever, in just about every price range and style. Here we showcase 25 watches with red dials, some of which you can buy new and some which might require a little hunting on the secondary market. Orient Bambino Day-Date Price: $430, Case Size: 40.5mm, Thickness: 12.6mm, Lug to Lug: 46.5mm, Lug Width: 21mm, Crystal: Mineral, Water Resistance: 30 meters, Movement: Automatic F6B22 Often under the radar of American watch consumers and overshadowed by its much larger Japanese brethren, Citizen and Seiko (which with it shares a corporate connection through Epson), Orient has been making value-oriented watches in Japan since 1950. The Bambino, Orient’s dressy gents’ model, mostly offers simple three-handed options but also a handful of “quiet” complications, like the intriguing designed Bambino Day-Date, here in a red-dialed execution. The Roman hour numerals and railway minute track surround a pair of asymmetrically balanced subdials, a smaller one at 10 o’clock for the day of the week and a larger one at 5 o’c...
Worn & Wound
Why YES Watches Deserve Your Attention (and A Slot in Your Watch Box)
When I started collecting watches many years ago, I vividly remember stumbling upon a blog discussing YES and their array of unique and technologically advanced watches. I’m typically not someone who utilizes many of the functions on a watch besides the basic time and date keeping, but when I saw how complicated the dial and modes were on these, I knew I would have to own at least one at some point. Now with two different models in my collection, I wish I could go back and thank the author of that blog for steering me in the right direction all those years prior. For those of you who haven’t seen or heard of YES before, allow me to shed light on them just like that blog did. A Brief History of the Company For a more in-depth rundown on how YES came to be, I highly recommend reading the writeup by the brand’s founder himself, Bjorn Kartomten, featured on their website. Here, I want to instead offer some insight on the brand’s models and technological innovations rather than the nuts and bolts of how the brand came to be. As I’m sure you’ve already been able to gather by the included photos thus far, these aren’t your typical three-handers. Throughout YES’ catalog are watches boasting equinox and solstice alerts, lunar phase information, daylight and nighttime readouts and estimates, sun and moon calculators to show lunar data for any locations between the years 2000 and 2100, high and low tide indicators, phase elapse countdown timers, compasses, alarms,...