Hodinkee
The Grey NATO: Episode 128: Aquastar, Doxa, And Hayabusa Swaps With Rick Marei
The start of the new vintage trend and how old brands can be made new again.
Results for Mother of Pearl Dial
34,352 articles · 155 videos found · page 953 of 1151
Hodinkee
SJX Watches
Up Close: Bell & Ross BR 05 Chrono
Bell & Ross’ integrated-bracelet sports watch gets an upgrade this year, with the bigger, and arguably better, BR 05 Chrono. The new chronograph retains the design of the basic BR 05, but incorporates 1970s racing-chronograph style with its twin square registers. At the same time, the case design and finish work better on the larger format, but the case of the chronograph is surprisingly thin, resulting in an unusually slim profile on the wrist for what it is. Initial thoughts In the heavily-populated category of integrated-bracelet sports watches, the best value is typically found at the less obvious brands. In its class, the Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chrono is just excellent, and so is the H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner, albeit in a higher price class. In the affordable category, the BR 05 does well. The three-hands-and-date BR 05 is solidly executed and well priced, but looks and feels a little small, despite being 40 mm (and the skeleton version of the same is cooler but pricey). The best feature of the BR 05 is the case, which is neatly finished and nicely detailed, particularly in its price segment. The new BR 05 Chrono fixes the size issue. It retains the same case and finishing, but grows it to 42 mm. The larger size is just right – the proportions that suit the look of the watch. And design-wise the chronograph also works better – and looks more distinct than its time-only counterpart. The chronograph has a 1970s-racing-watch vibe, rather than the fashionable an...
SJX Watches
Fugue Introduces the Fiction One
Founded just three years ago, Fugue got its start with a watch featuring a modular case with interchangeable lugs. The brand’s second model is altogether more interesting, the Fiction One. Powered by an automatic Sellita movement, the Fiction One has an intriguing mystery dial – the hands appear to be floating over its surface with no connection to the central axis. Available for pre-order on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter until end October, the Fiction One is available in two dial variations, white and smoked grey. And it is affordable, with a price of €350, or about US$420. [Update December 10, 2020: The original Kickstarter campaign for the watch did not meet its target, but Fugue is doing it a second time, offering the watch at a slightly lower price, as well as a smaller minimum quantity. The new campaign closes January 8, 2021.] Initial thoughts “Microbrands” tend to capitalise on designs that are the flavour of the day, reusing classic sports-watch designs for affordable watches. So amidst its crowdfunded peers, the Fiction One is refreshing. That said, the mystery time display is an old invention, dating to early 19th century when it was invented by French magician Jean-Eugène Robert Houdin.And in the mid 20th century, the Galaxy watch with mystery hands was produced by several brands, most notably LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin, and Longines. Fugue takes inspiration from those wristwatches, successfully reinterpreting the idea to create something mod...
SJX Watches
Zenith Introduces the Chronomaster Revival Liberty
Just days after unveiling the Lupin the Third edition inspired by a Japanese anime series, Zenith has rolled out a limited edition for countries on the other side of the world. The Chronomaster Revival Liberty is similarly based on the El Primero A384, but dressed in red, white, and blue. Initial thoughts Zenith has released several limited edition A384s this year, which can feel a bit too frequent. But to the brand’s credit the editions have all been appealing, and the El Primero in general remains a well-priced chronograph. The Chronomaster Revival Liberty is a good looking watch that retains the 1970s spirit of the A384 while giving it a totally new colour. The tricolour combination brings to mind the American flag, but it is an attractive combination that’s helped by details like the whimsical candy-cane central seconds hand. Gradient blue The key element that sets this A384 edition apart from the others is the dial, which is finished in a matte, graduated blue that darkens towards the edges. The smoked or fumé finish is popular today, but not especially common at Zenith. It’s matched with the red and white striped seconds hand, as well as a red-on-white date disc. The rest of the watch is stock A384, which means it remains true to the 1969 original in size and finish. It’s 37 mm in diameter and finished with radial brushing on its top face, just like the original. And inside is the El Primero 400 movement. Key facts and price Zenith Chronomaster Revival Li...
Time+Tide
Are high-value vintage watches pandemic-proof? The auction market results from 2020 say yes…
This year has been remarkable in many ways. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve said to myself, “Well, I never thought I’d see that happen in my lifetime.” Despite these surprises, the watch industry has demonstrated a remarkable stability. Sure, we lost a few trade shows. But there was also a regular flow … ContinuedThe post Are high-value vintage watches pandemic-proof? The auction market results from 2020 say yes… appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
New with hands-on review: Bell & Ross BR 05 Chronograph with live pics and pricing
The genre is the luxury sports watch, chronograph edition. Its latest entrant – the Bell & Ross BR 05 Chronograph. This most recent addition is an extension of the BR 05 family, which began life in 2019 as an automatic watch with many options. We got a detailed hands-on session with the new BR 05Read More
Time+Tide
HANDS-ON: The Bulgari Aluminium time-only - a summer-fresh take on a ’90s lightweight classic, still a winning formula, still fresh
The strangest feeling is to be had when you first put on the Bulgari Aluminium time-only - if you actually get it on in the first place. Holding it makes you do a double take and shift it from left to right hand as if to check your own function as a makeshift human set of … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The Bulgari Aluminium time-only – a summer-fresh take on a ’90s lightweight classic, still a winning formula, still fresh appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
Ulysse Nardin Blast: Highly Volatile Explosive
Ulysse Nardin offers the Blast in five different case versions, and each of these case materials has great impact on the look of the individual watch. In most watches, ceramic cases provide an edgy feel that Martin Green thinks often makes them look better than their metal-encased siblings. Not so with the Blast, he feels. Check out all of his thoughts on this new watch here.
Deployant
New with hands-on review: IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Edition “SFTI” REF. IW389104
IWC extends the Top Gun collection in the Pilot’s Watches range with the the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Edition “SFTI”. The The new model takes inspiration from the “Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor” watch, which was created in 2018 in honor of the US Naval Aviation Community and is available only for TOPGUN graduates. ThisRead More
SJX Watches
Dubai Watch Week 2020 Goes Online
Having taken place in Dubai and London since 2015, Dubai Watch Week (DWW) is now going online. Organised by Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, the largest watch retailer in the Middle East, DWW was traditionally a watch fair catered to consumers and collectors that was a platform for education as well as new product launches. Despite the pandemic, DWW is going ahead as much as is reasonably feasible. “Our objective of uniting the watch community and providing an educational platform is at the forefront of what we hope to achieve via this experience,” explains Hind Seddiqi, Director General of Dubai Watch Week. A scene from an earlier DWW that took place in the Dubai International Financial Centre This year the event takes the form of four panel discussions that will be broadcast live online. The panels will cover familiar topics like the grey market for luxury watches, but also the more intriguing: the October 26 session is about “conspiracy and authenticity and whether the heart of the luxury industry beats in an organic market or is wound-up and coerced into ticking by specific entities”. Representing the breadth of the watch industry, the panellists ranging from auctioneers to entrepreneurs to watchmakers. Amongst the participants are Edouard Meylan of H. Moser & Cie., Stephen Forsey of Greubel Forsey, Aline Sylla-Walbaum, Christie’s Luxury department head, as well as Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer of Seddiqi Holding Christophe Nicaise. And it also ...
SJX Watches
Massena Lab Introduces the Uni-Racer Chronograph
Having gotten its start by collaborating with independent watchmakers like Habring2, Massena Lab has just unveiled the first watch of its own brand, the Uni-Racer. A vintage-style wristwatch modelled on the Universal Genève Uni-Compax “Big Eye” chronograph of the 1960s, the Uni-Racer features several details that will appeal to enthusiasts, while having an affordable price tag of just under US$3,500. Initial thoughts Like all other remakes of vintage watches, the Uni-Racer reproduces the look of its vintage inspiration, while enlarging everything – the case is 39 mm compared to 37 mm for the original – to suit modern tastes. But unlike most other remakes, the Uni-Racer attends to the details that only a keen-eyed collector would appreciate, which is hardly a surprise since Massena Lab founder William Rohr is a longtime watch collector himself (and probably best known as the former general manager of watch forum Timezone.com). Features like the hand-wind movement and vintage-style buckle indicate the attention to detail in its conception. But there are also the less obvious elements, like the tiny, engraved logo on the crystal and the Massena Lab emblem that resembles an inverted Universal Genève logo. In fact, Massena Lab says it “interviewed former Universal Genève employees and suppliers to confirm original details and aesthetics”. The achievement of the Uni-Racer is not a novel design, but the careful curation of details that give the watch an authentic...
Time+Tide
3 ways the Apple Watch Series 6 could help to protect you from COVID-19
This year has been unlike any other in recent memory. Almost unlike any in living memory. And while that has been for a multitude of complex reasons, much of the responsibility can be uncontroversially laid on the shoulders of the COVID-19 pandemic that has spread across borders. While this has been a global catastrophe, the … ContinuedThe post 3 ways the Apple Watch Series 6 could help to protect you from COVID-19 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Chopard Introduces the L.U.C Skull One
Chopard has loosened up its strictly formal, ultra-thin dress watch with recent launches like the collaboration with tailor Kiton. Launched during Mexican watch fair Salón Internacional Alta Relojería México (SIAR), the L.U.C Skull One continues the theme – a slim, black-coated case and the dial decorated with a motif inspired by Día de Muertos, the Mexican festival that celebrates the dearly departed. Initial thoughts The Skull One is not the first Chopard dressed in a calavera, a decorated depiction of the skull used during Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Two years ago, once again for SIAR, Chopard decked out its top-of-the-line L.U.C perpetual calendar with tourbillon in Day of the Dead decor that was hand engraved on the dial and case. But compared to that one-off creation (and also the similarly-themed De Bethune DW5), the Skull One is most pared back in style and also in price. Priced just shy of US$10,000, the Skull One is well priced for a wristwatch powered by a sophisticated, in-house movement that has an elaborately printed dial. And just as importantly, the watch is well designed – the skull motif works well with everything else. The look is coherently put together, with most of the elements done in shades of black and grey – even the case back crystal is tinted grey – but accented with rose gold markers and hands. Simple yet effective While obvious at a glance, the dial is thoughtful in its details. The motif is set apart from the b...
Time+Tide
INTRODUCING: Massena LAB Uni-Racer, the first in-house production from Massena LAB, with a fresh take on vintage chronograph perfection
From the secret lab of William Massena we have come to expect the unexpected. The LAB has a short but exciting history of sharp collaborations with a disruptive edge, exhibiting a wide scope of taste and style. This exciting new model is a case in point, with the last public project being a brilliant vintage … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: Massena LAB Uni-Racer, the first in-house production from Massena LAB, with a fresh take on vintage chronograph perfection appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
HANDS-ON: The DOXA SUB 200 C-GRAPH - the most colourful chronographs we’ve seen in years
It is fair to argue that the two most popular watch categories that find their way onto the wrists of buyers around the world are dive watches and chronographs. Both have their merits and are classic staples of the watch industry, but what if there was a way to have both? The DOXA SUB 200 … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The DOXA SUB 200 C-GRAPH – the most colourful chronographs we’ve seen in years appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
Introducing: The Panerai Radiomir Venti PAM2020
A limited edition timepiece celebrating 20 years of the Paneristi online community.
SJX Watches
Panerai Introduces the Radiomir Paneristi 45mm PAM02020
As it did for several anniversaries before – but against a vastly different landscape in the past – Panerai has just announced the Radiomir Paneristi 45mm PAM02020 for the 20th anniversary of its collector forum. The PAM 2020 is a hand-wind, 45 mm Radiomir with a steel case finished with an faux-patina treatment, and an inappropriately large anniversary logo on the front (and an even larger one on the back). Initial thoughts This is the sixth Paneristi edition. Six editions ago, Paneristi was arguably the most fanatical watch forum dedicated to the hottest brand in the world. The first Paneristi edition, the PAM 195 of 2003, sold out in an instant, and despite all of them having the owner’s name engraved on the back, sold for many multiples of the original retail price on the secondary market. But times have changed. Although Panerai describes the new Paneristi Radiomir as “the result of an intense creative process involving close collaboration between… Panerai’s technical and creative team… and the Paneristi”, it is neither intense nor creative. The emblem on the dial might be engraved like it is on vintage Panerai, but it looks unattractive. And “Venti”, which is Italian for “twenty”, between the lugs regrettably brings to mind the extra-large Starbucks coffee. The dial colour and finish does look good, however, and the faux-aged case (identical to that on the Radiomir PAM 992) is also appealing. And for €6,500 this is reasonably priced, though...
Deployant
New: Chopard L.U.C Skull One - a tribute to the Mexican Calavera
Chopard presents the L.U.C Skull One, a 100-piece limited-edition adorned with a Mexican calavera as a tribute to the Day of the Dead.
Hodinkee
HODINKEE Radio: Episode 109: Watch Vlogger Jenni Elle
One of YouTube's biggest watch personalities talks to us about the "Rolex Game," embracing controversy, and why she loves weird watches.
Revolution
The Rake x Ralph Lauren ‘Negroni Bear’ Polo Bear Watch
A legend is coming to THE RAKE. Please raise a glass to the newest member of the team, launching Thursday 12th November 2020. Register your interest at shop@revolutionmagazines.com.
SJX Watches
Seiko Announces the Design-Your-Own-Seiko-5 Contest
Much loved for its extreme affordability, the Seiko 5 was revamped last year with the Seiko 5 Sports. Since then, there have been numerous iterations of the diver “lite” Seiko 5 Sports, as well as a variety limited editions such as the Street Fighter V quintet inspired by the video game of the same name. And now anyone could be the designer of the next Seiko 5. Seiko has just announced Seiko 5 Sports Custom Watch Beatmaker, a design contest open to the public. It’s an online platform to mix and match the key elements of the watch, and the design receiving the largest number of votes will be realised as an actual production watch. Initial thoughts As if in response to the long-existing and substantial community of “modders” who modify Seiko watches, the contest presents choices for five external parts of the watch, namely the bezel insert, case, dial, hands, and strap, allowing users to iterate amongst all of them. But the choices for each of the five elements are all drawn from existing models of the Seiko 5 Sports, so there really isn’t that much of a diversity in design. The resulting watches will essentially be a shuffling of familiar elements, which is not that exciting, especially given the numerous and interesting after-market modifications available. That said, it is significant that Seiko is allowing watch enthusiasts to take part in the design process – up to an extent – bringing about hope that there will be more enthusiast-led designs in the...
Time+Tide
INTRODUCING: The Seiko Prospex SPB183J 55th Anniversary Limited Edition is back in blue
A proven trend within the world of watches is for brands to reinterpret historic models within their archives for modern-day release. Seiko has revived and renewed one of their classic ’70s divers with the new Seiko Prospex SPB183J 55th Anniversary Limited Edition. The case While slightly larger than the original, the Seiko Prospex SPB183J … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Seiko Prospex SPB183J 55th Anniversary Limited Edition is back in blue appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
MICRO MONDAYS: AUDRIC SeaBorne 500 M is a proper spec MONSTER for the money
It seems like every week, another Kickstarter microbrand comes forward with its own take on a diving watch. Some of these are more successful than others, but the one certainty is that in order to stand out, companies have to increasingly think outside the box. AUDRIC Watches have done so with the home-run combination of … ContinuedThe post MICRO MONDAYS: AUDRIC SeaBorne 500 M is a proper spec MONSTER for the money appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Redefining luxury leisure with the new lightweight Bulgari Aluminium collection
Editor’s note: There’s no doubt that the Bulgari watch department is having a very big year. So far they have gotten hearts racing with the launch of their record-breaking Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Skeleton Automatic, the new Octo Finissimo in satin-polished steel, and then their remarkable High-End Watch novelties. And if that wasn’t enough, there … ContinuedThe post Redefining luxury leisure with the new lightweight Bulgari Aluminium collection appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Halios Fairwind Review: Setting a New Standard
The Fairwind makes a statement - even when almost everything that can go wrong does go wrong, a commitment to good design and quality, a little chutzpah, and a lot of patients can still create something truly special.
Deployant
Six bling watch recommendations for Throwback Sundays
Deployant is not really known for bling watches. We are more known high end, high complication pieces, and the for the big industry players. But nonetheless, we have featured some before. Here are our pick of six of the best from our archives. Bling watches – the art of bling – the desire for luxuryRead More
Quill & Pad
Vacheron Constantin Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Skeleton (Video)
The Watches TV visited Vacheron Constantin’s Geneva boutique to talk with the brand’s style and heritage director Christian Selmoni, who provided the story of the new Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Skeleton, which you can watch in this aesthetic five-minute video.
Time+Tide
Conor McGregor’s jumping back in the octagon … what watch will he buy to celebrate?
Editor’s note: Conor McGregor, the biggest name in UFC history, looks set to come out of retirement a mere six months after announcing he was done with the sport. While nothing official has been confirmed, “The Notorious” is strongly rumoured to be squaring off with Dustin Poirier within the next six months, with UFC President … ContinuedThe post Conor McGregor’s jumping back in the octagon … what watch will he buy to celebrate? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
HANDS-ON: The Hublot 40 Years Anniversary Black Ceramic
It’s hard to believe it’s been four decades since the inception of arguably the most disruptive and provocative watchmaker in modern history. But we are indeed celebrating their 40th birthday and their first-ever watch – the Classic Original, otherwise known as the OG gold watch with a rubber strap. To commemorate the milestone, Hublot has … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The Hublot 40 Years Anniversary Black Ceramic appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
Theo Auffret Tourbillon à Paris: Oh Là Là! A Very French Take On Traditional Watchmaking
French independent watchmaker Theo Auffret has called Paris his professional home for many of the last eight years. His debut watch, the Tourbillon à Paris, is both testament to his watchmaking philosophy and a fine example of French tradition in practice.