4,425 articles · 419 videos found · page 92 of 162
Monochrome
The name Tank at Cartier means far more than just a watch… It’s an entire range of watches, all distinguished by some design elements first defined by the so-called Tank Normale of 1917. From there, the collection expanded to dozens of designs, such as the Tank Louis Cartier, the Cintrée, the Française and the Asymétrique, […]
Revolution
Monochrome
Orologi Calamai isn’t a household name in the industry, but this small Italian brand has been producing intriguing, aeronautical-inspired watches since its founding in 2012. Unfortunately, MONOCHROME can’t cover the entire array of small, independent brands out there (we try, believe me), but Orologi Calamai definitely caught our eye, and we’ve covered them in the […]
Worn & Wound
It’s not entirely uncommon for my first encounter with a brand to be when they inquire about attending Windup Watch Fairs. There are a lot of brands out there, more every year, so it’s hard to keep up with every new launch. Conveniently, Windup is a great way for new brands to meet enthusiasts and potential customers (sorry, this wasn’t meant to be a Windup pitch), resulting in a natural amount of outreach. When new brands come in, whether to me or a colleague, we give them a quick review to see if they are a conceptual fit for the fair, which they are more often than not. Occasionally, a new brand will stand out, for one reason or another, and they’ll get the seal of approval and an immediate request for a sample to review. Such was the case with Piccola & Joffrete. What stood out wasn’t the watch’s design, though it is altogether pleasant if conservative; rather, it was what appeared to be a high level of finish and a dedication to Swiss manufacturing. Many watches say Swiss-made on them, the definition of which I’ll elaborate on below, but few say 100% Swiss-made like the Piccola & Joffretes. Typically, those that are 100% Swiss (which is also hard to tell as transparency isn’t a strength of the watch world) cost significantly more, likely starting in the five figures. So, the final aspect that made Piccola & Joffrete (PJ) stand out was their relatively reasonable price point, Swissness considered, of 2500 CHF. There are several criteria a watch must mee...
![[VIDEO] Hands-On: the Xeric Timeline Retrograde](https://wornandwound.com/library/uploads/2025/02/xeric_timeline-dual-retrograde_009_WR.jpg)
Worn & Wound
When I attended the New York Windup Watch Fair for the first time, I was exposed to a multitude of brands and had my eyes opened to just how unique the watch industry could really be. Among the brands that I was introduced to, Xeric stood out due to their futuristic, space themed and outright eccentric designs. As I’ve followed Xeric, they’ve continued down this same path, which brings us to the Timeline Retrograde. With this new release, Xeric has set out to revive the double retrograde movement, making it relevant and affordable for modern collectors. To do this, Xeric has introduced the “Xeric Caliber X5.1” movement: to put it simply, this is a custom built module which stacks upon a Miyota 9015, a common movement in the microbrand community known for its reliability and affordability. This module gets you a retrograde display without the exorbitant costs associated with developing an entirely new movement from scratch. Additionally, since the foundation of this watch is a 9015, it should prove to be a reliable timepiece for years to come, but also be serviceable in case something happens. The standout feature of the Xeric Timeline Retrograde is, without a doubt, its retrograde time display. Unlike traditional analog dials where multiple hands simply rotate around the face, the two retrograde hands “sweep” across the dial in an arc and then jump back to the start. The hours are shown by a shorter hand that glides from 12 to 12, while the minutes are indica...
SJX Watches
Launched quietly last year as limited production runs of the standard model, the Tank Américaine “Art Deco” gives a striking new look to a familiar model that was first introduced in 1989. Though the Art Deco-style dial is mostly associated with the low-cost (and low-end) Tank Must de Cartier, it has been artfully applied to the Américaine with varying surface finishing and thoughtful details. The result is a Tank Américaine that looks radically different from the standard model, while being priced the same. Initial thoughts The Tank Américaine was conceived as a modern take on the Tank Cintrée, but because of its wider availability, numerous variants, and comparatively affordable pricing, the Américaine has become something of a poor cousin in the eyes of enthusiasts. The new variants of the Tank Américaine, however, are clearly trying to change that. They look and feel more upscale with the “Art Deco” dials that do away with the central seconds, which are long standard for automatic versions of the Tank Américaine. The yellow gold version Both are identical in dimensions. The case is a little wider and thicker than the Cintrée, so it’s not quite as elegant. And the 1899 MC movement inside is in-house but industrial and not as sophisticated as the manual-wind calibres (that are either Piaget or Jaeger-LeCoultre) in the Cintrée. But the Américaine “Art Deco” is more affordable, with the yellow gold version priced a little over US$16,000. The “Art...
WatchAdvice
I take the new Spirit of Big Bang collection for a spin to see just how striking these fresh colourways look in person. From bold Sky Blue to versatile Beige and understated Dark Green, each model brings its own unique personality to the wrist! What We Love The three new colours offer different aesthetics to suit a wider audience Sky blue and beige colours are stunning in person New collection offers undeniable wrist-presence, especially with skeletonised dial and colour matching chronograph counters What We Don’t Doesn’t provide a perfect fit for smaller wrists Case back construction can be improved for better “snug” fit. Dark green model’s dial blends in the with skeletonised movement, which hinders readability of time and counters. Overall Score: 8.9 / 10 Value for Money: 9/10 Wearability: 9/10 Design: 9/10 Build Quality: 8.5/10 Hublot has started the year off with a bang…quite literally. The brand is celebrating arguably their most iconic collection’s 20th anniversary this year, so we knew it was always going to be quite spectacular. Early last month, Hublot unveiled a host of new timepieces, one of which was the new SAXEM green “sapphire” Big Bang, a true masterclass of a timepiece with a blend of different materials to create a unique and eye-catching timepiece. Another release that I personally loved was the new Spirit of Big Bang collection. For those that my not know, the Spirit of Big Bang collection from Hublot was introduced in 2014 as a b...
Worn & Wound
I have a feeling that if you asked most watch enthusiasts to tell you their thoughts about Rado, they’d start with the Captain Cook. The brand’s diver has been revived in recent years and become an enthusiast favorite, appearing in both traditional vintage inspired designs as well as more forward thinking and tech oriented variants. I’ve handled my share of Captain Cooks and while I think it’s a perfectly fine dive watch, there’s something a little generic about it and it’s never quite grabbed my interest. It seems positioned as a calling card product for Rado, but I find myself wondering if it’s really the watch that we should most closely identify with the brand. Because the truth is, when it comes to Rado, they are far more adventurous than the Captain Cook would lead you to believe. And, for that matter, they’re more adventurous than we should have any right to expect given their fairly competitive price points and their place within a big luxury watch group, not typically the home of risk taking when it comes to watchmaking. Beginning with the DiaStar in the 1960s (which featured a case made from an ultra hard alloy that was among the first watches marketed as “unscratchable”) and on into the 1980s when the brand really began hitting their stride with ceramic, Rado has carved out a niche for itself as a brand willing to experiment with both raw materials and the form and function of a watch. There are many examples of this throughout the brand...
Worn & Wound
Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that our enthusiast romance associated with a mechanical movement can be another’s annoyance. Our beloved rituals of winding and setting, feeling the grinding clicks in your fingertips, and double-checking you’ve set it correctly can act as a barrier to entry for some, leaving a mechanical watch inside a dresser drawer. That is why I am a proponent of luxury brands exploring quartz calibers, particularly within their more popular collections. Removing that barrier and often lowering its price point means that the watch and the hobby as a whole can be accessed by more people, which is the ultimate goal, after all. All that being said, if a luxury brand is going to make a quartz watch and charge a luxury price, you have to make it a good one. Stepping off of my soap box, I’ll happily admit that when TAG Heuer released the Aquaracer with a solar quartz caliber inside, I too scoffed at the price and questioned its purpose. While the design language spoke to me with its warmly hued titanium construction and tasteful accents, I just didn’t understand why TAG Heuer would charge a price many multiples of what other solar quartz calibers commonly sell for. That was until I had the opportunity to have a period of hands-on time with it. I found myself enjoying its lightweight yet solid construction, the fun application of lume, and even became a bit enamored by the angular case lines, which had previously been a bit off-putting. So when I s...
Worn & Wound
Amidst the three and four-figure divers that dominate the market, Citizen has a reputation for being the everyman’s watch. Though the brand offers a variety of styles and price points, their dive watches tend to be one of the most popular options amongst their fan base. Launched in 1989, the Promaster series was developed with the goal of providing professional-grade, reliable watches for divers and outdoor enthusiasts. The first Promaster dive watch was equipped with advanced features like a high-water resistance rating, luminous hands for visibility underwater, and a rotating bezel to track elapsed time.These Promasters featured an arrow logo, symbolizing the watch’s ability to “go higher and deeper” than Citizen’s previous collections. This arrow is still included on the crown of modern Promaster references, tying these new releases into a longer history of one of the brand’s favored series. Citizen made waves in the summer of 2023 when they released a smaller version of their Eco-Drive divers. Those releases brought the Eco-Drive Promaster, traditionally sized 44mm, into the realm of the smaller-wristed by shaving off a whopping seven millimeters. These options came in three dial colors: gray, blue, and black, and all had a color-matched bezel. Three more colorways were debuted this past December, which included purple, blue, and red dial options. Along with the new colors, the brand made some aesthetic changes to these 37mm divers. Though the three color...
Worn & Wound
There’s no sports watch that I have a stronger connection to than the Zenith Defy. I’ve long told anyone who would listen that the Defy is, bar none, my favorite sports watch collection. From its inception, the Defy has been a watch associated with pushing both design and watchmaking boundaries, through the use of uncommon materials, avant-garde designs, and over-the-top specs. For whatever sports watch from a major Swiss brand you can name, I could probably think of a Defy that matches it in terms of what it can do, and eclipses it in terms of the always hard to quantify cool factor. Yes, of course this is subjective. But, I mean, is it really? Now that we’ve established that I love the Defy potentially all out of proportion, we can consider the latest entry in the growing collection, the Defy Skyline Chronograph Skeleton. This is a combination of words that were always meant to meet in the form of a Defy – the writing has been on the wall since the intro of the first Defy Skyline, or least since the introduction of the Skyline Chronograph. One of the nice things about the Defy, as a collection, is that it truly offers a different flavor of the core watch for every taste, with dials that are skeletonized, or not, cases that are made from steel, or ceramic, and now chronographs offering some of those same decision points. My feelings on the Defy Skyline collection oscillate quite a bit. Whenever I put one on, I can’t help but compare it in my mind to the Defy...
Hodinkee
Move over white lacquer dial. I've got a new favorite Speedy.
Hodinkee
Known for his tattoo work, artist Mo Coppoletta has a new design role at an upstart brand.
Hodinkee
The second design of the series sees a splash of color in a limited edition of 150 pieces.
Worn & Wound
It’s hard to deny the outward appeal of a field watch. Tactical but not overly macho, mature but not boring-the traditional field watch “style” is eminently wearable for combatants, explorers, mountaineers, and the regular old civilian crowd. Classics like the Hamilton Khaki Field, Bulova A-11 “Hack”, Seiko Alpinist, Rolex Explorer, and many, many more, are icons of the category, and it’s hard to feel like there’s much more to be innovated or improved upon. The TUUL Filthy 13 is keenly aware of the history of the field watch. Its very name is a derivation of the “Dirty Dozen”-both the 1967 war movie about a squad of delinquent soldiers, and the twelve Swiss watchmakers commissioned to build a watch to help win World War II for the Allied forces in 1945. The Filthy 13 is a reference to Private Jake McNiece, the thirteenth member of the real-life military unit, left out of the film based on the squad’s feats-a cheeky signal of the Brooklyn-based company’s dedication to preserving the history and resilience of the field watch, while carving their own convention-breaking niche. I was given the opportunity to test out the Filthy 13, and was immediately drawn in by the well-laid out history and inspiration behind the watch. My first field watch was a Timex Weekender Indiglo given to me by my grandfather-a watch I still have and wear frequently-and I regularly pine after the Hamilton and Seiko 5 lineups. At first glance, the Filthy 13 is a well...
Hodinkee
Four years after the two brands' first collaboration, two of watchmaking's best designers get creative with an icon.
Monochrome
When it comes to 1970s-inspired elegant sports watches, those equipped with a shaped case and an integrated bracelet, most people tend to look back at 1972 and the Royal Oak, before quickly jumping to 1976 with the Nautilus and the Ingenieur, and then 1977 with the 222. Yet, we have to keep in mind that […]
Worn & Wound
It isn’t a hot take to say that tool watches tend to be formulaic. Afterall, there are only so many combinations of bezel formats, dial colors and hand styles out there. With new brands borrowing familiar cues and old brands iterating on their own designs, it’s easy to feel underwhelmed by the steady stream of near-identical releases. Oftentimes, I look at a new watch and wish the brand would do something, anything, to put their own spin on even a single component to stand out from the crowd. Well, BOLDR heard my pleas with the newest iteration of their popular Odyssey diver ($799). And they didn’t just put their own spin on one component… they spun them all. After I unboxed the sky-blue “Horizon” variant, I spent a solid 10 minutes rolling it around in my hands, taking in all the unexpected details. I noticed the funky gear-shaped crown, the translucent dial that reveals the entire date wheel, the unique dual-stripe hands, a shaped date window, and the seemingly never ending cascading angles that make up the aggressive case shape. Just when I thought I’d taken it all in, I turned the watch over to be surprised by an embossed whale on a display caseback. We will get to all those details (including the whale) soon, but first, let’s cover the basics of this far-from-formulaic GMT. The Watch The bold watch with blue accents that kept surprising me is part of BOLDR’s expanded Odyssey collection. Differentiating itself from their more subdued offerings, the ...
Monochrome
When you read magazines like MONOCHROME, stepping into the (absolutely fascinating) world of mechanical watchmaking can be frightening. Not only can these watches be hard to understand, filled with complications and complex mechanical devices, but the prices at which most luxury watches are offered generate a “glass ceiling” effect that’s hard to break. There is […]
SJX Watches
Launched in late 2023, the Tourbillon Cardan marked Greubel Forsey’s pivot to more classical watchmaking, away from the sports watches that defined it for several years. Staying true to its speciality, the Tourbillon Cardan is a fancy tourbillon: it’s equipped with an inclined, high-speed tourbillon making one revolution every 16 seconds, with the tourbillon suspended in a pair of cardan, also as a universal joint or gimbal, similar to the suspension used in marine chronometers. The set-up swivels the tourbillon back and forth as the carriage makes it 16-second rotation, which theoretically optimises the position of the balance wheel while the watch is on the wrist. Initial thoughts The Tourbillon Cardan is classic Greubel Forsey in many ways, bringing to mind the various exotic tourbillons the brand has released over the years. The watch is big, huge in fact, but stands out with engaging visuals thanks to the multiple motions of the gimballed tourbillon. There’s a lot to see on the open dial, which is not only complex and dynamic but also offers an appealing depth. The depth is a consequence of the thickness of the watch, which is substantial – over 18 mm high with the crystal, necessary to accommodate the tourbillon. Despite the size, the watch is lightweight as the case is titanium, but it still feels chunky but that’s almost expected for a Greubel Forsey. The compact Nano Foudroyante EWT, on the other hand, is atypical of the brand. Though the colours are mon...
Hodinkee
The final frontier in Galli's flagship experiment.
Worn & Wound
Earlier this month when Kat Shoulders and I were discussing the concept of the “gateway watch” on the Worn & Wound podcast, the Astor+Banks Sea Ranger M2 was sitting just out of reach on my desk. I didn’t mention the newest iteration of the Sea Ranger concept in our discussion, but I very easily could have. This is a rock solid sports watch made by a micro-brand that has proven to be foundational in the space over the years, with just a little bit more than meets the eye when it comes to the finer details. Those details are the kinds of things that make a watch buyer a watch enthusiast, and there’s no doubt about it, Astor+Banks is an enthusiast focused brand. Still, the Sea Ranger M2 strikes me as the type of watch that, if it existed ten years ago, would be an easy recommendation for someone just starting out. The Sea Ranger M2 is positioned as a do-it-all adventure and tool watch, with a litany of impressive specs: 300 meters of water resistance, soft iron plates shielding the movement from magnetism, a pair of screw down crowns, a quick-adjust clasp (more on that later) and a La Joux-Perret movement with a 68 hour power reserve. These, for the most part, are calling cards of the modern tool watch, a baseline for what a brand has to do in order to claim their watch is a true go-anywhere-do-anything kind of timepiece. The micro-brand space is saturated (perhaps oversaturated) with watches in this genre, so it takes some work to stand out from the crowd. I don...
Deployant
Bvlgari introduced a new automatic movement in the BVS100 Lady Solotempo, realised in the new Serpenti Seduttori Automatic and the Tubogas.
Hodinkee
"I couldn't help it," says the Scorpion. "It's my nature."
![[VIDEO] Hands-On: the Longines Ultra-Chron Carbon](https://wornandwound.com/library/uploads/2025/01/Longines_Ultra-Chron_Carbon_full_012_Full.jpg)
Worn & Wound
Following the release of the Longines Ultra-Chron in 2022, a revival of a very specific reference from 1968, Longines adds to the model family with the new Ultra-Chron Carbon. This model comes from a more modern age with a carbon and titanium construction, a monochromatic motif, and the same high-frequency automatic caliber inside. Initially, though, it is hard to tell if this model is meant to be an evolution of the former or an extension of the overall family. While there may still be some similarities to its sibling model, this new version does have its differences, which are important to note. As the only carbon case piece currently being offered by the brand, it is interesting that Longines decided to introduce it in the oft-overlooked Ultra-Chron collection rather than its more popular offerings like the Spirit Zulu Time or the Conquest. Potentially a byproduct of the simpler case architecture being a bit more friendly to the material, the forged carbon does seem to look right at home molded into the cushion case shape. $4900 [VIDEO] Hands-On: the Longines Ultra-Chron Carbon Case Forged carbon Movement L836 Dial Anthracite Lume Yes Lens Sapphire Strap Sailcloth Water Resistance 300 meters Dimensions 43 x 48.6mm Thickness 14.1mm Lug Width 20mm Crown Screw down Warranty Yes Price $4900 Before taking a closer look, my mind immediately began to look back at a release from last year coming from another Swatch Group brand, the Tissot Sideral S, ready to call out similari...
Hodinkee
Three watches a year. Nearly 100% handmade. Top tier finishing. It's a special watch.
Hodinkee
It's the subtle vintage-inspired option people have been waiting for, and it's worth the wait.
Deployant
Leica releases the SL3-S, their new full frame hybrid camera aimed at combining still photography and video. Here are our first impressions.
Monochrome
A moon phase complication on a watch that went to the Moon and is named, at least for some of the editions, the Moonwatch… Add to that a glass of moonshine and a slice of mooncake, and you’ll be over the Moon. I allow you to blame me in the comments for this lame introduction, […]
Hodinkee
Why we need to talk about the Van Cleef & Arpels Cadenas.
Question, suggestion, or just want to say hi? Drop a note.