Hodinkee
Watch Spotting: Danièla Dufour And Her Personally Hand-Made Simplicity
One of the rarest and most coveted watches in the world, but unique to – and by – her.
4,364 articles · 1,770 videos found · page 95 of 205
Hodinkee
One of the rarest and most coveted watches in the world, but unique to – and by – her.
Hodinkee
A salmon-and-steel update to the original L.U.C 1860 from 1997 that's everything I could've hoped for.
Hodinkee
A fresh take on Art Deco that doesn't take itself so seriously.
Hodinkee
It takes guts to release just one watch at Watches & Wonders, but Lange didn't disappoint.
Worn & Wound
At this point, I think we all have a fairly solid understanding of the appeal of a gold watch. The heft, the rarity, and the luster of gold all appeal to our reptile brains in ways that are almost innate. Zach Weiss broke it down here back in 2021, and in the nearly two years since that article was conceived, we’ve only grown more gold-curious as a team. But as much as we talk about a growing appreciation for gold, there’s another tangentially related segment of watchmaking that doesn’t get nearly the same level of attention, at least from enthusiasts. But a new watch from Oris made me rethink my relationship to these watches. No, I’m not talking about watches with Muppet-clad date displays. I’m talking about diamonds, an entirely different level of opulence. In a modern context, watches that have been set with diamonds most frequently fall into one of two categories: watches marketed exclusively toward women, or the completely iced out custom jobs that you sometimes see on red carpets, music videos, and in New York City’s diamond district. With the new Aquis Date Diamonds, Oris is asking us to rethink the stone by incorporating them into a watch that’s truly sporty, and also by making them accessible. Oris goes about this by using lab-grown, as opposed to mined, diamonds. Lab-grown diamonds have increased in popularity in recent years as manufacturing techniques have gotten better and better, delivering stones that are identical optically and chemically ...
Video
Hodinkee
Talented titanium, tactile and teutonic.
Hodinkee
Small changes make for a thinner, slimmer Tank Américaine
SJX Watches
Maybe unsurprising given the state of the industry – watchmakers enjoyed record sales in 2022 – value buys were few at Watches & Wonders (W&W;) this year. Amongst the independent watchmakers, just two stood out for being value buys, the Kudoke 3 and Urwerk UR-102 “Reloaded” – both of which I covered in my highlights amongst the indies. Not quite an independent watchmaker but niche nonetheless, Louis Erard stands out for the Excellence Marqueterie. Probably the best value amongst its many limited editions, the Excellence Marqueterie brings the art of wood marquetry to a previously unheard of price segment. Although it costs only about US$4,000, the Excellence Marqueterie features a dial decorated with tiny pieces of exotic wood that have been sawn and applied by hand to form an M.C. Escher-like pattern. The Excellence Marqueterie. Image – Louis Erard Like most other niche brands, Louis Erard exhibited outside the halls of W&W;, where all of the establishment brands were located. Amongst the big names, only Tudor offered substantial value with its new models, although that is not news in itself since value is a fundamental characteristic of the brand. (Though it is arguable that Rolex offers strong value in all its models regardless of price, but certainly not as much as Tudor.) Two watches stood out amongst Tudor’s 2023 line-up. One is the Black Bay 54, a watch clearly conceived by aficionados with an eye for detail. Just 37 mm in diameter, it resembles a vinta...
Hodinkee
An elegant take on the fan-favorite 'Shunbun,' this new limited edition pairs a pink gold case with the familiar pale pink dial.
Hodinkee
Vacheron gives us a look at what it takes to stand out amongst open-dialed watches
Video
Worn & Wound
Zenith relaunched their Pilot this year, in one of the most closely watched releases of Watches & Wonders. It’s one of those watches that was just hard to know what to make of it until seeing it in the metal (or ceramic), but both Zach Kazan and Blake Buettner were surprised by it in different ways. Here are their thoughts on the new Pilot watches, as well as a pair of genuine sleepers: a Defy Revival Shadow in bead blasted titanium, and an all new Defy Skyline in full ceramic (including the bracelet). Pilot Zach: What I found when I finally went hands-on with the Pilot watches at Watches & Wonders last week was a collection of aviation inspired watches that didn’t feel the need to hew too close to tradition, either Zenith’s or the genre of pilot watches more generally. These watches, actually, reminded me of my favorite vintage Defy references in a surprising way, in that they were weird and unexpected, but still worked and were fun to wear. This isn’t a typical pilot watch in the same way a Defy from the mid-70s isn’t a typical sports watch. Their sensibility is tweaked just a little, to the point where there are few direct comparisons you can make to other watches. I guess what I’m trying to say is that they’re original in a way that few watches in this category are anymore. The chronograph is the standout, in my opinion, and if I had to choose, I’d take the one in steel. There are two things about this watch that I really love. First, the way the ac...
Hodinkee
A teeny tiny Baignore, Panthère, and Tank Américaine.
Worn & Wound
And now, readers, we’ve come to that portion of our Watches & Wonders coverage that I know at least two of you have been anxiously anticipating, Yes, it’s now an annual tradition I guess, where I will wax rhapsodically about a mind bending Hublot novelty fit for a modern version of an 18th century French king. I can’t really think of a better way to describe the Big Bang Integrated Tourbillon Full Blue Sapphire than to contextualize it with something commonly understood to be shorthand for over-the-top indulgence, but that’s what this watch is all about, in the best possible way. It’s a huge swing, which is exactly what I like to see from brands at Watches & Wonders. If I’m going to fly across an ocean and deal with travel delays at every step, I’d like to see things that I can only see in a presentation in the back of one of those enormous booths. Last year I wrote about the Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Purple Sapphire and characterized it as one of the best watches of last year’s Watches & Wonders because it succeeded at being compelling from a watchmaking perspective while also being completely outlandish in a way that Hublot is uniquely great at. It marked a point in my own appreciation for the brand where they rose above the level of a mere curiosity and reached a point where, in my opinion, they are deserving of the respect given to any other serious innovator in contemporary watchmaking. This year they’re back with a sequel of sorts to last ye...
Hodinkee
While everyone lost their minds over the steel models, we got our hands on some grade-5 lightness.
Hodinkee
While the size has been modernized, this new Normale is the purest essence of Tank design.
Video
Hodinkee
The standouts are the platinum with a display caseback and the new stainless steel, but Rolex now has more than 30 models in the Daytona line. Here's what you need to know.
Revolution
Revolution Editor-at-Large Eleonor Picciotto and Revolution Founder Wei Koh met up with Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe to get a closer look at Hublot’s diverse array of novelties that the brand presented at Watches and Wonders 2023. They got their hands on eye-catching new Hublot timepieces like the Big Bang Integrated Blue Sapphire, Big Bang Integrated […]
Hodinkee
It's gone from 36mm to 39mm to 36mm…and now all the way up to 40.
Hodinkee
The new OP design is a totally unexpected move from the kings of traditional watchmaking. That's exactly why it's so marvelous.
Hodinkee
Max Büsser knows how to give the fans what they want.
Video
Revolution
At Urwerk’s atelier, Jeremiah Chan, Deputy Digital Editor, got to know the back story of the iconic UR-102 in detail. As you might be aware, the UR-102 is inspired by the Sputnik satellite, and this unconventional timepiece played a fundamental role in launching Urwerk to success, along with paving the way for futuristic independent watchmaking. […]
Worn & Wound
This year, Hermès has expanded their H08 line with their Watches & Wonders novelties, adding several new colors to the base model in their composite case material, as well as a very impressive monopusher chronograph. Hermès is a favorite meeting at Watches & Wonders. The brand has a history that sits well outside traditional Swiss watchmaking culture. As a luxury design house, they are primarily known for their leather work, and the iconography of the brand is largely associated with their roots in equestrian sports. They have greatly expanded their watchmaking reach in recent years, however, with Vaucher supplied movements and a series of winning designs that have legitimized the brand in the watchmaking space. The H08 was introduced two years ago as the “sporty-chic” Hermès sports watch. This year’s new introductions feature the brand’s very interesting composite material, made from a mix of carbon fiber and graphene powder. The result is a lightweight 39mm case that Hermès claims is resistant to wear, and it has a unique textured appearance that looks almost hammered by hand but is smooth to the touch (Hermès says it’s coated with aluminum and slate powder). Whether or not the aesthetic is appealing will be a largely subjective matter, but the case has a great weight and feel on the wrist, and the cushion shape is comfortable and seems well suited to casual, daily wear. The case is accented with a black ceramic bezel that makes for a great contrast with...
Hodinkee
The Crown has unleashed its inner freak – and I'm so here for it.
SJX Watches
Due to its enviable position as the leading Swiss watch brand by revenue, Rolex tends to dominate headlines for even the smallest changes to its collections. So it’s even bigger news when the brand launches an entirely new collection, the Perpetual 1908, as it has on the opening day of this year’s Watches & Wonders. Named for the year that Hans Wilsdorf registered the Rolex trademark in Switzerland, the Perpetual 1908 is a slim, time-only watch with a display back that signals a renewed focus on the dress watch category for the giant of Geneva. Initial thoughts The Perpetual 1908 is a worthy replacement for the outgoing Cellini collection, which to me always felt like the forgotten child of the Rolex portfolio. Forced to use movements from their sportier siblings, the Cellini watches were never able to achieve the right proportions to be taken seriously as dress watches. The Perpetual 1908 debuts in four references in yellow and white gold, with the option of white or black satin finish dials; the black dials look especially good. The designs are atypical for Rolex, featuring a sub-seconds dial at 6 o’clock, and a new handset. “Superlative Chronometer” drapes over the sub-seconds dial, calling to mind the Rolex Veriflat of the 1950s. Speaking of the Veriflat, the 1908 case measures just 9.5 mm thick thanks to the new cal. 7140. This is a big improvement over the Cellini watches, which were over 12 mm thick. The 1908’s dress watch credentials are bolstered fur...
Hodinkee
Smaller and thinner – but packed full of everything you want from a Black Bay.
Video
Question, suggestion, or just want to say hi? Drop a note.