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Urwerk Introduces the UR-100V LS Ceramic Worn & Wound
Urwerk Introduces Feb 6, 2026

Urwerk Introduces the UR-100V LS Ceramic

The Urwerk UR-100 has become one of my favorite designs in high end independent watchmaking. Whenever I encounter one (a rare event given the brand’s annual production of just around 200 watches total) I’m blown away by the way it distills the essence of the brand into a completely wearable, compact, package. I’ve always been a fan of the Urwerk philosophy, but until I tried on a UR-100 I always felt the watches themselves might be too ungainly or oddly shaped for me personally. There’s something about this case though, mostly its impressive thinness, that makes it feel like a “normal” watch on the wrist but still something otherworldly when you look down to check the time. That, to me, feels like a sweet spot.  The latest from Urwerk brings a new watch into the UR-100 lineage with the UR-100V LS Ceramic. This is effectively a new variant of the original UR-100V LS (short for “light speed,” which we’ll get to momentarily) that appeared in 2024. The new watch features a white ceramic case, a first for the brand and more complex than it first appears, and the same whimsical ideology of its predecessor, and many other Urwerk watches, which are all in one way or another a commentary on timekeeping itself.  All Urwerks (well, almost all) share a common wandering hour satellite time telling mechanism that has become their calling card. It’s actually a rather mechanically elegant way to tell the time, basically with a wandering hour “pointer” to a fixed ...

IWC Introduces a Pair of Limited Edition Pilot’s Watches in Collaboration with F1 Driver George Russell Worn & Wound
IWC Introduces Feb 5, 2026

IWC Introduces a Pair of Limited Edition Pilot’s Watches in Collaboration with F1 Driver George Russell

Recently, over the course of a brutally cold weekend here in Concord, NH, I rewatched last year’s F1, the Brad Pitt vehicle that is essentially a very long advertisement for the sport for which it is named. It’s a fun movie, and even though it was made for giant screens and deafening surround sound systems, it played just fine at home as a fairly standard sports movie. I had been wanting to give the film another look as it was recently nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards (a bit of a surprise to most observers) and figured it was time to see how it stood up to a repeat viewing. The answer is that it’s still really enjoyable popcorn fare, but my one real reservation is in the almost nonstop product placement.  IWC watches factor heavily into the texture of the film itself. If you look closely, you can see a watch or the IWC logo in more scenes than not. It speaks to the importance of the relationship between IWC and F1, so I was not at all surprised when I learned that IWC’s first big novelty release of the year would be a pair of watches representing a collaboration between the brand and F1 driver George Russell, who races for the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS team, which IWC has had a longstanding relationship with.  Unlike previous watches IWC has released as part of their partnership with Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS, this one is tied to a specific driver. Rather than the teal color highlighted in those earlier watches, these feature a more traditional blue hue, ...

A New Batch of Worldtimers from Farer Have Arrived Worn & Wound
Farer Have Arrived It’s hard Feb 5, 2026

A New Batch of Worldtimers from Farer Have Arrived

It’s hard to keep track of all the watch trends that come and go over a calendar year, and while it’s not been as smoking-hot-popular as skin divers and GMTs, the worldtimer complication has been enjoying some time in the sun recently. Joining the herd is the Farer World Timer 2026 Collection, which beefs up an already-impressive (and early to the trend) lineup with three new colorways. In fact, the Farer World Timer was first launched in 2019, well before recent additions that have piqued the watch world’s interest, and it’s that confident backlog that has allowed Farer to introduce three new pieces with a level of design refinement that other relative newcomers may lack.  Before we dive into the new colorways, let’s get the basics down: each Farer World Timer sports a 39mm 316L stainless steel case (and varying finishes depending on the model) with an impressive 11mm of thickness, and a democratic 45mm lug-to-lug measurement. One crown, inset with a Farer “A”-embossed bronze cap, sits at the 3 o’clock position, while the other, wearing a World Timer marque, rests at 10 and operates the outer rotating bezel. The crowns, domed sapphire crystal, and exhibition caseback ensure a decently robust 100 meters of water resistance. Inside, a Sellita SW331-2 Elabore movement should guarantee reliability, accuracy, serviceability, and a 56-hour power reserve. A bespoke Farer rotor is color-matched to the central 24-hour disc on the dial.  Speaking of that disc, it...

Audemars Piguet Introduces the Neo Frame Jumping Hour Worn & Wound
Audemars Piguet Introduces Feb 5, 2026

Audemars Piguet Introduces the Neo Frame Jumping Hour

I have what you might call a love/hate relationship with Audemars Piguet. They are, without a doubt, makers of some of the finest watches in the world. Objectively speaking, there’s a level of craft involved with the production of AP watches that is hard to match at the scale at which they operate. Every Royal Oak I’ve ever handled feels like a perfectly made thing without any compromises. I honestly can’t say the same about equivalent watches from other brands in the so-called Holy Trinity.  And yet, there’s so much baggage with Audemars Piguet in our current watch culture. I wrote about it here, specifically as it relates to the Royal Oak and how it has become a signifier of wealth and status that has overshadowed watchmaking and watch culture. I find this flex culture to be a huge turn off, and the way AP seems to lean into it, by producing more and more varieties of Royal Oak, some with mini sculptures of Marvel characters on the dial, to be a signal that they’re a willing participant in the watering down of their brand.  But then Audemars Piguet will go ahead and release something beautiful that is not a Royal Oak and I’m reminded that derisively referring to them as The Royal Oak Company (something I’ve done frequently over these last few years) is ultimately unfair. Earlier this week, as part of a larger drop that included several exotic Royal Oaks, a pocket watch, and more, AP launched what might be one of the riskier watches they’ve introduced in...

W Worn & Wound
Worn & Wound
Feb 4, 2026

Out of Office: Exploring the Sundance Film Festival and Utah’s Wasatch Mountains

My very first date with my now-wife was a Sundance documentary. We were college students and managed to get into the film with student-priced tickets after waitlisting for a few hours armed with a deck of cards, in the cold of Park City, UT. Since then, one or both of us have gone to the Sundance Film Festival nearly every year. The post Out of Office: Exploring the Sundance Film Festival and Utah’s Wasatch Mountains appeared first on Worn & Wound.

Affordable Vintage: the Longines Grand Prize Worn & Wound
Longines Grand Prize Longines Feb 4, 2026

Affordable Vintage: the Longines Grand Prize

Longines is a storied and well-respected Swiss watch manufacture that formed in 1832 and has continued uninterrupted to this day. From the first wrist chronometer in 1911, to groundbreaking flyback chronographs in the 1930s, to the world’s first hi-beat wrist chronometer in 1959, Longines holds their own in the watchmaking world.  My favorite period for watches is the 1950s through the 1970s and Longines was one of the top accessible brands during that time. In 1954 Longines began a marketing strategy of product families, launching the Conquest line of watches. In 1957 they introduced the Flagship line, adding to what would become a large group of watch families, many of which are still made today. Other lines that came later include the Admiral, the Ultra-Chron and the Grand Prize. The Grand Prize line was named in honor of the multitude of watchmaking awards and honors that Longines had accumulated over the decades. It was a relatively short-lived family, produced from about 1958 to 1964 according to my research. I have found that the majority of Longines watches produced during these decades were all fairly equal in quality and craftsmanship, with most of the differences in the families being design related. The Conquests were rugged and sporty, on par with the early non-diver Omega Seamaster watches. The Flagship series were dress watches, while the Admiral line was a mixture of both. The Grand Prize family were pretty much all thin, elegant everyday type dressier w...

The Dawn of Heuer Dive Watches: How A House of Chronographs Saved Itself By Embracing The Depths Worn & Wound
Piaget Feb 3, 2026

The Dawn of Heuer Dive Watches: How A House of Chronographs Saved Itself By Embracing The Depths

Few other watchmakers enjoyed as much success and cachet as Heuer, especially during the fervent 1960s and 1970s. Not only had it launched one of the world’s first automatic chronographs, but it pushed the envelope on modern design with midcentury-cool chronographs like the uniquely square Monaco. Heuer was riding high on the glamor of Grand Prix: the Heuer shield was as indelible to the backdrops of Monza and Le Mans as Ferrari, Porsche, and McLaren themselves as the official timekeeper of Formula One.  But, inevitably, the quartz revolution came for Heuer. Jack Heuer was the third-generation CEO of the company that bore his name, and he had been a savvy marketer, personally hawking chronographs to drivers like Jo Siffert and Nikki Lauda. By the 1980s, however, he found himself backed into a corner, and in 1982, he was forced to sell the company to Piaget and Lemania-a humiliating low point in his life, as he recounted in his autobiography.  Yet, before he departed, he gave Heuer one saving grace. In 1979, he commissioned Heuer’s first dive watch, the Professional Series. At a trade show Jack had overheard a brief conversation about the unreliability of existing dive watches, and he aimed to emulate Rolex’s success with the Submariner and Sea-Dweller. (Incidentally, Rolex owned half of Heuer’s stock market shares, and nearly took over the company around this time.)  Photo by Blake Rong Heuer had spent the decade building an electronic timing division, which b...

Traska Introduces their First Chronograph Worn & Wound
Rolex Feb 3, 2026

Traska Introduces their First Chronograph

While the news today is dominated by big releases from Holy Trinity brands that will be nearly impossible for mere mortals to see in person, let alone buy, Traska has what feels like an antidote, or at least a cleansing breath when it feels we’re being flooded with watches that fall into the dreaded “hype” category. Their first new watch in nearly four years is also their first chronograph (conveniently named, the Traska Chronograph) and it applies much of the brand’s ethos into a platform that we’re honestly surprised they hadn’t pursued to this point.  If you need a refresher on Traska, we invite you to read up on Venturer GMT, which Griffin reviewed recently here. While this is a look at one specific watch, Griffin gets to something about how we understand Traska, which is that they produce watches that are part of a long lineage of purpose built tools. The word “Rolex” is invoked multiple times in that Venturer review not because Traska has a connection to that brand’s current status as the most well known luxury object in the world, but to a previous state when watches were prized for their simplicity and usefulness. Rolex made great leaps from the middle of the last century onward simply by standardizing a design language for sports watches that has become definitional to the category at this point, and I think what Traska is doing with a commitment to using steel hardening treatments and offering other points of value in every watch while adhering...

Vacheron Constantin Introduces a New Titanium Tourbillon with a Deep Red Dial Worn & Wound
Vacheron Constantin Introduces Feb 3, 2026

Vacheron Constantin Introduces a New Titanium Tourbillon with a Deep Red Dial

One thing I loved about graduating from a relatively small district in rural Pennsylvania is that it wasn’t necessarily like the high school experiences I saw reflected in television. Due to the general population at my school never hitting above 200 students, cliques were permeable and caste systems were divided more by how often you had class with the same people versus, say, any general interests. While we are led to believe that high school is a microcosm of real life, and that people can generally be categorized by such surface-level things like hobbies or intelligence, I think my upbringing has allowed for me to see that one thing can contain multitudes. Because of this, I’d hate to box the new Vacheron Constantin addition to their Overseas Collection, a titanium tourbillon model, into one category or the other. It’s sporty and technical – or, if we’re keeping with the high school theme– a jock and a geek. Now that I’ve beaten that analogy to death, we can go onto the specifics of this latest reference from the Swiss watch brand. From a design standpoint, it has all the hallmarks of Vacheron Constantin design language: clean lines, a classic silhouette, and a balance of keeping it traditional without being boring. Even so, the design’s deep red sunburst dial, visible tourbillon movement, and use of titanium add just enough of an update to the collection to be notable. Of course, these aren’t all for aesthetiques. The use of Grade 5 titanium and an u...

Monochrome Teams up with Angelus for their Latest Montre de Souscription Limited Edition Worn & Wound
Armin Strom Feb 2, 2026

Monochrome Teams up with Angelus for their Latest Montre de Souscription Limited Edition

One thing that we’ve learned quite clearly over the last decade or so is that there are a lot of different ways to release a limited edition watch, particularly a collaborative limited edition. Our friends over at Monochrome have a particularly interesting way of doing it, with their Montre de Souscription series, which makes limited edition watches available on a “subscription” basis, a throwback to a very old way of selling watches. This is essentially the offer of a pre-order with money down, that allows the watchmakers to begin working on the pieces to be sold later. The concept has evolved and become quite common, but in the early days of watchmaking this was the only way that fine watches could be made and that everyone involved could make a living at it, so the term has come to evoke classical watchmaking in a very real way. For their part, Monochrome has chosen to work with some very esteemed and similarly old-fashioned independent brands since this series launched in 2020, including Habring (twice), Armin Strom, and Czapek.  Last week, they debuted the latest MDS series watch, the Montre de Souscription 5 x Angelus Chronographe Tachymètre. This is a new spin on the Chronographe Télémètre, a watch that was among our favorite debuts at Watches & Wonders last year. As you might guess from the name, the new piece made with Monochrome switches out the telemeter scale on the chronograph for a tachymeter.   There are other little changes as well, but the mos...

Watches, Stories, & Gear: Magic Mushrooms, New EDC, and one of the Simplest Tools We’ve Ever Seen Worn & Wound
Jan 31, 2026

Watches, Stories, & Gear: Magic Mushrooms, New EDC, and one of the Simplest Tools We’ve Ever Seen

“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of our favorite content, watch or otherwise, from around the internet. Here, we support other creators, explore interesting content that inspires us, and put a spotlight on causes we believe in. Oh, and any gear we happen to be digging on this week. We love gear. The Global Travel Stash from Matador  Here at Worn & Wound, much of the team is gearing up for what will be a rather intense season of travel. Between trade shows, Windup, and maybe even some personal travel (imagine that!) a lot of us are thinking about where we’re going and what we’ll be bringing along with us to make those trips as smooth as possible (but honestly, we don’t need much of an excuse to think about the gear side of things).  To that end, a new piece of kit from Matador caught our eye recently. The Global Travel Stash is a low profile, weatherproof carry solution meant to house your most important travel essentials. Things like cash, credit cards, your passport, keys – all the little things that you absolutely need to keep secure. The Global Travel Stash is also RFID blocking and can be carried like a wallet or around your neck or even as a cross-body “bag” if you’d prefer. Check it out at the Matador website here. The retail price is a very reasonable $49.  The Leatherman OPNR  We love a ridiculously simple everyday carry solution, and the new OPNR from Leatherman is about as straightforward as it gets. This extremely minimal keychain ...

Introducing OraOrea by Zach Starr Weiss Worn & Wound
Jan 30, 2026

Introducing OraOrea by Zach Starr Weiss

Hey, this is Zach Weiss, co-founder of Worn & Wound. As I’m sure you know, I am very into watches. I have been wearing them since a young age; they sparked my interest in design, leading me to pursue a degree in the topic, and, of course, to eventually co-found Worn & Wound in 2011. Since 2011, that interest has turned into an obsession (and career) that permeates my waking, and sometimes dreaming, life. Now, after nearly 15 years in the industry learning about, writing about, talking about, and designing watches, I’m ready to do what I’ve always dreamed of: launch a watch brand of my own. Dear readers, friends, and colleagues, it is with the utmost excitement that I announce the launch of an independent watch brand I created: The journey to get to this point began in late 2023. Over the years, I’ve designed countless watches that have gone unseen; created in my free time, drawn up on my computer. Some were just loose sketches that took an evening; others were fully fleshed-out concepts formed over months or longer. With my 40th birthday just over the horizon, I took stock of where I was in life and decided it was time to put theory into practice. The first challenge was a name. After a process of losing sleep, endless perusing of thesauruses, deep soul-searching, generating list after list – and legal fees – I landed on OraOrea (pronounced aura-aurEEya). The inspiration for the name was a genuine experience. On a late afternoon walk, working on names in my hea...

eBay Finds: Seamasters Galore and More! Worn & Wound
Omega Seamaster DeVille  First up Jan 30, 2026

eBay Finds: Seamasters Galore and More!

eBay Finds is back! This bi-monthly installment will feature a selection of watches currently listed on eBay that have caught the eye of editor Christoph McNeil (@vintagediver). If you come across any hidden gems on the ‘Bay drop us a note at info@wornandwound.com for potential inclusion. Vintage Omega Seamaster DeVille  First up this week we have a fresh and beautiful vintage Omega Seamaster DeVille dress watch. The 34mm yellow gold cap case is in nice shape, with classic 1960s slim lugs. The steel back has a nice, deeply engraved Hippocampus logo medallion. The case is a front-loading type, but this time the seller was kind enough to remove the movement so we can see that pink gold automatic caliber 563 beauty. The movement is clean and runs well per the seller. The serial number on the movement dates this one to 1967. The silver dial has an elegant linen finish to it, with gold stick markers and slim gold stick hands. There is of course a date window at 3 o’clock. The dial is super clean and looks original to me. The crown is correct for this model and signed with the Omega logo as it should. Even the acrylic crystal is signed with the Omega logo on the underside of the middle, which is always a huge plus. Great looking original vintage Seamaster DeVille dress watch. View auction here 1960s Wittnauer “Mystery Dial”  Here is a spectacular vintage Wittnauer “mystery dial” watch. The mystery dial is a design where the minute hand is normal, but the hour hand ...

A Look at the Timex Q Nebula, the Forgotten Pulp Fiction Watch Worn & Wound
Seiko pieces from Jan 29, 2026

A Look at the Timex Q Nebula, the Forgotten Pulp Fiction Watch

Turning on Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 masterpiece Pulp Fiction for the first time is a moment I’m sure many of us would like to relive. Among the many unexpected moments the film has to offer is a four-minute-long scene where Christopher Walken details the history of a Lancet trench watch and its unfortunate journeys through the human anatomy. The familial heirloom timepiece that Captain Koons passes down to his son, Butch, is often considered by watch buffs and film aficionados to be the true “Pulp Fiction watch” because of its inclusion in the iconic scene. I personally feel there’s another timepiece featured in the movie that should be in the running for that title as well (and no, I’m not talking about Harvey Keitel’s Gucci 3300M). The Timex Q Red Nebula never gets any clear-cut screen time, but for those keen-eyed viewers, it can be spotted on John Travolta’s wrist numerous times throughout the film. Several stories and blogs have been written about the history of the Lancet featured in the movie, but very little exists about this Timex Q in the watch space. Let’s change that, shall we? History of the Red Nebula  This model was advertised as the ref. 989502 in Timex catalogues, but quickly gained the far catchier Red Nebula moniker because of its dial from consumers upon release. When it initially launched in 1977, it featured a faceted mineral crystal, similar to those seen on Seiko pieces from that era. The 1978 release of this same model features a...

Introducing the G-SHOCK MRGB2000KT3A “Kobayashi Masao” Worn & Wound
Jan 29, 2026

Introducing the G-SHOCK MRGB2000KT3A “Kobayashi Masao”

I’ll be honest and say it right off the bat: the G-SHOCK MRGB2000KT3A is not for me. Still, I am just one person in an endless ocean of watch enthusiasts, so I’ll try to take a look at the MRGB2000KT3A through the eyes of someone it is for. After all, I am not immune to the allure of a G-SHOCK; I’ve owned several, and they’ll always have a place in my heart as one of the first watch brands that I really loved. So, with my new persona adopted, let’s dive into the newest-and most limited-model in the MRG-B2000 series. The first notable thing about the MRGB2000KT3A is the name attached to it. Kobayashi Masao, a master metalsmith and engraver from Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, has lent his craft to the watch in a big way, etching a phoenix on the bezel. Perhaps I am making that sound rather tame, though; to clarify, the phoenix peeks out from the left side of the bezel, with flames mirroring its position on the right side. The engraving’s dramatic persona is based on the phoenix design on the tsuba iron guard-a fitting between a Japanese sword’s hilt and the blade-of Kobayashi Masao’s MR-G katana, making a connection between the watch and the artist’s own line of work. The deep-layer hardened titanium bezel wears a distinctive blue-green kurogane-iro (“iron color”) shade, thanks to a green DLC coating and brown Arc Ion Plating (AIP). Stippling further texturizes the bezel, and four emerald-capped screws sit at the 1, 5, 7, and 11 o’clock positions. No...

Astor+Banks Launches the New Terra Scout, a Contemporary Take on the Classic Field Watch Worn & Wound
Jan 28, 2026

Astor+Banks Launches the New Terra Scout, a Contemporary Take on the Classic Field Watch

It’s hard to believe, but Astor+Banks has been around since 2012. That means the brand has seen the incredibly rapid growth of the microbrand watch scene from the inside, and has also been around for some of the bumps in the road that naturally occur as any community expands and changes. Their longevity in the industry is easy to understand when you zoom out and look at how brand founder Andrew Perez has positioned his brand over these last several years, with a series of thoughtful, consistent releases that build on each other gradually. The latest, the Terra Scout, is a new take on the classic field watch as seen through A+B’s perspective, which increasingly involves heavy doses of lume and a more unapologetically contemporary vibe. New takes on the field watch are always a bit of a gamble. It’s such a durable and simple platform, if you make too many changes or adjustments, you begin to bury the very nature of what it’s supposed to be. But it’s also kind of boring to simply recreate the same format over and over again. Recently, I’ve appreciated Aera’s bizarro take on the genre in their M-1 Blackbird, and the Terra Scout reminds me of that watch somewhat. Not in its aesthetic (it’s clearly completely different) but in approach. That’s very intentional on Perez’s part. “I like to get feedback at shows like WindUp and wear the watch for a while before I decide to bring it to market,” he told me over email. “In this case, it took longer than expec...

Atelier Wen Introduces a New Perception with a Rare Natural Pietersite Dial Worn & Wound
Rolex makes watches Jan 28, 2026

Atelier Wen Introduces a New Perception with a Rare Natural Pietersite Dial

Last year, Atelier Wen released one of my favorite watches of the year in the Inflection, a bold and ambitious integrated bracelet sports watch in tantalum. The reaction to that watch, to my mind, was puzzling. While there were certainly many supporters and admirers of the Inflection, there was also a vocal contingent of enthusiasts on Instagram and various watch blog comment sections (who, to be fair, were probably not customers for this particular watch anyway) griping about the price, and the fact that a brand centered on value and approachability would even make a watch like this (the retail price is just shy of $30,000).  I’ve never cared much for the notion that a brand that makes affordable watches can’t also make watches that are very, very expensive. It’s all relative anyway, right? Rolex makes watches that are considered entry points to the brand at right around $10,000, but they also have watches in their catalog that sail into the six figures. That’s a pretty big delta, certainly larger than the one between Atelier Wen’s entry level pieces and the Inflection. But that’s a topic for another day. Today, we’re focusing on Atelier Wen returning their bread and butter, the Perception, an integrated bracelet sports watch they’ve been iterating on for several years now, this one in steel with a natural pietersite dial.  It’s tempting to say that this watch represents Atelier Wen jumping on the stone dial trend, but the pietersite of it all changes ...

The Greatest Horological Masterpieces of All Time: the Omega Speedmaster is Still Out of This World Worn & Wound
Longines Wittnauer Jan 27, 2026

The Greatest Horological Masterpieces of All Time: the Omega Speedmaster is Still Out of This World

A series of features identifying the most extraordinary mechanical masterpieces in history, blending precision, innovation, and craftsmanship. We all have our favourite timepieces either in our collection or those incredible horological masterpieces that have been invented or created through the ages. This series will showcase examples from the previous centuries up to the present day and look at the importance and impact on modern day timekeeping.  In the early 1960s, NASA realised astronauts needed reliable, tough wristwatches for space missions, especially for tasks outside the spacecraft like on the Moon. So, NASA secretly bought several chronograph-type watches off the shelf. They tested watches from Omega, Rolex, Longines-Wittnauer, and perhaps a few others under extreme conditions. “Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its 5-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.” These were the immortal words of Captain James T. Kirk, of the Star Ship Enterprise, played by William Shatner, in the hugely popular series, Star Trek, first broadcast in 1966. Today we are still fascinated with space travel and the extraordinary developments that have impacted on all of our lives since Mankind first set foot on the Moon on the 21st July 1969.  It is often stated that the technology that took Apollo 11 astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mic...

Oak & Oscar Introduces the Humboldt ExP-02, Showing Off their In-House Dial Making Capabilities Worn & Wound
Oak & Oscar Jan 27, 2026

Oak & Oscar Introduces the Humboldt ExP-02, Showing Off their In-House Dial Making Capabilities

One trend in the microbrand/small independent category that I’m glad to see more of already in these early days of 2026 is brands doing more on their own, in-house. Those words, “in-house,” have developed an almost toxic reputation in some circles as they’ve been used liberally to imply a level of craft or development that is not really there when you strip away all the marketing talk. But a handful of brands are taking it back, using it to designate certain manufacturing processes that they’ve taken ownership of over overseas factories. Oak & Oscar has just announced a new watch, the Humboldt ExP-02 that reflects some of the ten year old brand’s new manufacturing capabilities in an exciting and unique way.  At a glance, you could be forgiven for thinking this is an ordinary version of the Humboldt, Oak & Oscar’s “classic adventure watch.” Subtly, however, it shows off real watchmaking skill and a willingness on the brand’s part to experiment with new techniques.  The centerpiece of the ExP-02 is the dial, which keeps the familiar sandwich style construction that Oak & Oscar is so well known for, but refines it and personalizes it for this piece. Every aspect of the dial manufacturing is done to a very high level in the Oak & Oscar workshop, using new watchmaking equipment that the brand has invested in specifically to create unique components for watches like the ExP-02.  According to Oak & Oscar, the rehaut and main dial plate are both cut from alu...

Industry News: Sellita Introduces the SW200-2 with 65 Hour Power Reserve Worn & Wound
Tissot as Jan 26, 2026

Industry News: Sellita Introduces the SW200-2 with 65 Hour Power Reserve

There’s a “don’t change it if it ain’t broke” mentality in Swiss watchmaking. Progress is slow, and it often seems that there’s a general distrust of change. An example of this is in the mechanical movements that power most of our watches. Chances are, you have at least one watch with an ETA 2824 or a movement based on the 2824 in your collection. If you’re like me, you have several. For Swiss-made watches of a certain price point, they are the standard. They are “workhorses” that, while not the most feature-rich, offer reliability and serviceability. And part of the reason for that is that the design has been around, largely unchanged, since the 1970s (the 2824-2, which is the current standard, was released in the 80s). That is, until 2013, when ETA launched 80-hour movements based on the 2824-2. First debuted in a Tissot as the Powermatic 80, ETA nearly doubled the 2824’s power reserve by slowing the escapement’s frequency from 28,800bph to 21,600bph, introducing synthetic components, and increasing the mainspring’s capacity. The biggest update to the 2824 format in a generation (though they no longer use that numbering), as ETA is part of Swatch, these movements gave the group’s catalog of brands under Omega an unexpected edge in the market, but were not available to third-party brands, thus limiting their overall impact. The ETA 2824 featured in a Sinn 556i In 2003, Sellita began supplying movements to third parties as a response to Swatch’s...

Toledano & Chan Introduces the b/1.3r, with a Solid Gold “Ripple” Dial Worn & Wound
Jan 26, 2026

Toledano & Chan Introduces the b/1.3r, with a Solid Gold “Ripple” Dial

Some weeks, like last week, frankly, I look at the crop of new releases hitting my inbox and wonder about the state of things in the watch industry. Everything feels like an iteration, a slight tweak, or an attempt to return to the mean. So we get slightly more luxe Speedmasters (where the pricing immediately becomes the talking point), a cadre of new Defys that have us wondering “Didn’t they already make this one?” and Carreras that hint at the watch community sneaking back to the Big Watch Era. Is it possible I’m overreacting? Of course. None of the watches mentioned above are bad by any means, in fact all of them are quite good, objectively speaking. It’s just that they don’t represent a ton of creativity or innovation, and when you work in the industry you become attuned to just how rare genuine creativity in watchmaking really is. It makes sense though. This is a business that’s all about selling watches and the biggest brands in the world need to cast a wide net. Big risks when it comes to design can’t reasonably be expected as the norm.  So we turn to the smaller makers, independents and microbrands, hoping they’ll be the ones to wave the proverbial Freak Flag. The new release from Toledano & Chan, the b/1.3r, with a custom made solid gold dial, is the kind of watch you love to come across in the midst of the big guys refreshing product lines and going through the motions.  Their latest introduces a slightly smaller case in blasted titanium, meas...

TAG Heuer Heritage Director Nicholas Biebuyck on the New Carreras, Formula One, and the Future of the Brand Worn & Wound
TAG Heuer Heritage Director Nicholas Biebuyck Jan 23, 2026

TAG Heuer Heritage Director Nicholas Biebuyck on the New Carreras, Formula One, and the Future of the Brand

It can be hard to love a heritage brand in its modern guise. The chasm between the demands of the modern world and the spirit that once defined a legacy brand is usually vast, and the need to progress and stay relevant typically outweighs any brand’s need to satisfy the enthusiasts and history buffs that love it. When it comes to TAG Heuer, however, there’s a different story being told–one that truly celebrates the brand’s history while seeking a seat at the table of the upper echelon of watchmaking.  The man responsible for orchestrating that balancing act is Nicholas Biebuyck, TAG Heuer’s Heritage Director. While Biebuyck wears many hats within the TAG Heuer machine, he’s an enthusiast at his core. The man understands where the brand has been and what that history means to his fellow enthusiasts, but he also has his eyes firmly on the future. Biebuyck knows that for TAG Heuer to stand on the top step of the horological podium, it needs to innovate in every regard–including swinging for the fences with its halo products like the Monaco Split-Seconds Rattrapante. To that end, TAG Heuer has announced the release of several new Carrera models that vamp on their successful “Glass Box” design. These watches, unveiled at LVMH Watch Week, include a new Carrera Seafarer that picks up where the brand’s 2024 Hodinkee limited edition left off while nodding at a beloved, if somewhat obscure classic from the Heuer archive.  These new releases continue to telegrap...

Fears Unveils their Limited Edition Release for British Watchmakers’ Day Worn & Wound
Fears Jan 23, 2026

Fears Unveils their Limited Edition Release for British Watchmakers’ Day

For the third year in a row, Fears will introduce a limited edition watch to be sold exclusively at British Watchmakers’ Day, which this year occurs on March 7. It continues a theme established in 2024 of using 925 Sterling Silver for the case material, a flourish that feels special and, somehow, quintessentially British. This year’s limited edition piece, the Brunswick 40 1846 Edition, debuts a new case design as well as a special lacquer dial made just for this year’s LE. It’s also an anniversary piece, as this year marks the 180th anniversary of brand founder Edwin Fear opening his first watchmaking workshop in Bristol in 1846.  This Brunswick 40 case is polished on all sides, taking full advantage of the natural lustre of 925 sterling silver. It’s also engraved with the initials of Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, the brand’s managing director, which is a nod to a tradition started with the first silver pocket watch made by Edwin Fear. Additionally, like previous British Watchmakers’ Day editions in silver, the crown is set with a single diamond to note that the case is constructed from a precious metal.  Diving into the specs, it’s worth noting that the case of this Brunswick 40 is very slightly thinner than the standard issue version. Per the spec sheet, this LE measures in at 11.1mm tall, while the typical Brunswick 40 is 11.9mm in height. That difference, you won’t be surprised to learn, likely comes down to the use of a manually wound movement in this...

[VIDEO] Introducing: The Windup Watch Fair Documentary Film + 2026 Windup Dates Worn & Wound
Casio n Jan 22, 2026

[VIDEO] Introducing: The Windup Watch Fair Documentary Film + 2026 Windup Dates

Last year marked the 10th anniversary of the Windup Watch Fair. This was a significant milestone that, if you had asked us a decade ago when we launched, we might not have confidently believed we’d achieve.  To mark the occasion, and to do something Zach, James, and I often struggle with (aka: celebrating our achievements), we enlisted a friend of Worn & Wound and a tremendously talented filmmaker, Taylor Scott Mason, to create a documentary. This film takes you behind the scenes of the production of the largest watch fair in the world.   We hope you enjoy this documentary as much as we do. For those who have followed Worn & Wound for years, we hope you take pride in what this community has built over the last decade. As we always say, Windup is about the enthusiasts who attend and the passionate brand owners who participate.  I also want to add a special note to our team. Zach, James, and I know how hard you all work to put this show on. You make it look easy when it is, in fact, just the opposite. Thank you for everything you do and for making Windup what it is. We hope you enjoy. – Blake Malin, Co-founder & CEO The Official 2026 Windup Schedule Windup Watch Fair Dallas March 13 – 15, 2026 Hickory Street Annex Dallas, TX We’re excited to announce that Windup is headed back to Dallas and staying for an extended weekend! We will be returning to our beloved venue, Hickory Street Annex, nestled near Downtown Dallas. The Annex was originally a distribution cente...

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